NDRF teams head for AP,Karnataka

Karnataka,Goa and Maharastra fall under the ‘Area of Responsibility’ of the NDRF stationed here. “We are not comfortable. We have requested for our forces to be relieved from Thane and redeployed in Maharashtra and Goa,which also falls under our Area of Responsibility. But we have been told it will be difficult to relieve them from election duty at present,” Avasthy said.

Reports coming in from Nashik,Jalgaon,Amravati,Aurangabad,Nagpur and Pune suggest that around 170 people have died in the past four days while over two lakh persons have been shifted to safer places.” However,the state disaster management cell said the situation in parts of Maharashtra and Goa was under control and it was not yet required for the NDRF to step in.

“Election duty is also national duty. At present,the situation is under control ¿ it is under level one alert. If it goes beyond that,we can re-deploy the forces. The Army is also on standby in Kolhapur and Mumbai,” said SC Mohanty,state disaster management cell.

Meanwhile,in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,the NDRF teams have been coordinating rescue,evacuation and relief efforts. On Sunday,the NDRF teams distributed eight quintals of food in Karnataka and around 4,000 food packets in Andhra Pradesh. “They have conducted special operations,including rescuing marooned persons,” Avasthy said.

At present,three teams with 30 boats are in Karnataka in the worst-affected districts of Bellary,Bagalkot,Raichur and Bajipur. Three other teams are in Mehboobnagar,Andhra Pradesh,he added.