New Delhi: In the wake of an intense heat wave and cyclone Remal that have led to casualties in several states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired multiple meetings with top government officials, including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and India Meteorological Department (IMD), to review the preparedness and the actions being taken to mitigate the severity of the weather conditions.
He also reviewed the relief work being done post-cyclone Remal, which has wreaked havoc in the northeast, and parts of Bengal and Odisha.
During the meeting, the PM was briefed about the impact of the cyclone on the affected states. As per information provided by the Prime Minister’s Officer (PMO), the PM assured his government’s full support to the state affected by Cyclone Remal. He also instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to monitor the situation and review the matter regularly to extend necessary assistance for restoration.
Also Read: Heatstroke killed 46 persons in May: Govt data
“The loss of human lives and damage to houses and properties due to landslides and floods in Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura was also discussed,” the statement from the PMO said.
Given the scale of impact, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed per the requirements of the states. As part of rescue and relief operations, teams have been deployed to carry out evacuation, airlifting and road clearance operations. For seamless operations for relief and rescue, the MHA is in regular touch with the state governments.
Incessant rain and landslides have disrupted life in several parts of the northeast, affecting air and rail services and flooding arterial roads and highways. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has cancelled express, passenger, and goods trains bound for south Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram following the inundation of railway tracks throughout the region amid heavy downpours and flooding.
Also Read: After cyclone Remal, Northeast reels under floods; casualties rise
On Saturday, the PM announced an ex-gratia for those who lost their lives in the calamity. In a post on X, he said, “An ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh from PMNRF [Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund] would be given to the next of kin of each deceased due to the natural disasters in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000 each”.
Given the extent of damage in Mizoram, state minister K Beichhua has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing seeking financial aid to recover from the devastation caused by heavy rains and landslides. Pointing out that at least 34 people have died in a collapsed stone quarry and landslides in Aizawl District, and several continue to be missing, the minister has requested Rs.1000 crore in special assistance from the central government to aid in relief efforts and reconstruction.
The Sunday’s meetings, which come days ahead of the results for the Lok Sabha polls that concluded on Saturday, also took stock of the intense heatwave.
There has been an alarm with temperatures soaring to nearly 50 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country. The PM was briefed that the IMD forecasts indicate that the heat wave is likely to continue in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, although the monsoon is likely to be normal and above normal in most parts of the country and below normal in parts of Peninsular India.
India has reported 56 confirmed heatstroke deaths in the past three months, of which 46 persons died in May alone.
“The Prime Minister has instructed that proper drills for preventing and handling incidents of fire must be done regularly. Fire and electrical safety audits of hospitals and other public places must be undertaken regularly. He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of fire-line in forests and productive utilisation of the biomass must be planned”, a statement issued by the PMO said.
Also Read: Manipur floods: 4 killed, 13 injured, over one lakh affected
Officials present for the meeting are learnt to have briefed the PM about the efficacy of the “van agni” portal which helps in the timely identification of forest fires and its management.
Earlier this week, a record temperature of 52.9 degrees Celsius was recorded in Delhi, however, IMD clarified that the reading by the weather station at Mungeshpur was found incorrect.
The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary to PM, PK Mishra; cabinet secretary, Rajiv Gauba; home secretary, Ajay Bhalla; along with the secretary of ministry of earth sciences, DG NDRF, and member secretary, NDMA, among others.
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