Maharashtra: Visiting calamity-hit areas necessary to 'wake up' local administration, says Devendra Fadnavis

Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic

Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis has defended visiting flood-hit areas in Maharashtra, saying it spurs authorities into action, hours after NCP chief Sharad Pawar observed that visits by VIPs to such spots should be avoided as they affect rescue and relief operations.

Fadnavis also said he will visit more such areas in the coming days. In view of multiple landslides triggered by heavy rains in the last few days and floods affecting parts of Maharashtra, Pawar had told reporters that except the chief minister, deputy chief minister and guardian ministers, others who are not directly linked to the relief operations should avoid visiting these areas.

"I generally do not miss visiting such areas, but this time, I am avoiding so that the state machinery will not get diverted from its work," he said. Union minister Narayan Rane, Fadnavis, and opposition leader in Legislative council Pravin Darekar recently visited Taliye village in the worst-hit Raigad district where a massive landslide claimed 84 lives. While 53 bodies were recovered from the spot, the Raigad district administration on Monday called off the search operations for 31 missing people who will be declared dead.

Fadnavis, who is Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, said the local administration "woke up" due to his visit. "When we visit the affected areas, the local administration wakes up and starts working. Hence our visit is necessary. The only message one can take from Pawar's statement is that tours can be conducted without adding any burden on the local administration," Fadnavis told reporters when asked to comment on Pawar's remarks.

Fadnavis, who had served as chief minister of Maharashtra from 2014 to 2019, said a state government order restricts local officials to assist or accompany Opposition party leaders during such visits, "which clearly means that during our visit, there is no burden on local officials." Fadnavis also hit back at the NCP chief over his comments on state governor B S Koshyari's tour of some flood-affected areas, where BJP MLA Ashish Shelar was also seen.

Also Read: Maharashtra: Sharad Pawar says VIPs should avoid visits to flood-affected areas

In a dig, Pawar had said Koshyari might be having more trust in Shelar than in MLAs of the ruling parties. "I was told that the governor had sent invitations to all the political parties and asked them to send their representatives. Shelar is representing BJP during the governor's visit, but I don't know the reasons behind the three ruling parties not sending any representatives," he said. Fadnavis said the BJP and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha will send nine trucks of aid to the flood-affected areas. "We will send more help in the coming days. I will be personally visiting some areas as well," he said.

As of July 26, the death toll in rain-related incidents in Maharashtra stood at 192 after the recovery of 28 more bodies, most of them in Raigad, the state government said. A total of 2,29,074 people had been evacuated from the flood and rain-affected affected areas till Monday and moved to safer places.

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