Tripura floods cause Rs 15,000 crore in damage: CM Manik Saha

Tripura Chief Minister Prof Dr Manik Saha on Saturday urged all political parties to come together to tackle the post-flood challenges ahead and informed that the state has faced a loss of approximately Rs 15,000 crore. 

Dr Saha made this appeal while convening an all-party meeting at the State Guest House to address the devastating flood situation caused by record rainfall. 

During the meeting, Dr Saha briefed representatives from various political parties on the government's response efforts so far and solicited their valuable suggestions. 'I urged them to join us in addressing the post-flood challenges ahead,' said Dr Saha. 

He noted that from August 19 to August 24, the rainfall was unprecedented. In Bagafa under the South District, over 493mm of rainfall was recorded.

'The situation is grim due to the floods. All the rivers of Tripura were flowing above the danger level. When I spoke with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he assured me of all possible help, including helicopters and additional NDRF personnel. Our administration is working tirelessly, distributing relief materials and carrying out rescue operations. Currently, all the rivers are flowing below the danger level, except for the Gomati River, which remains above the danger level. 

So far, 24 people have died, 2 are missing, and 2 are injured. Among the 24, 18 died in landslides, 5 drowned, and 1 died after a house collapsed,' said Dr. Saha. He added that leaders of the Opposition and other political parties, including representatives from the BJP, attended the all-party meeting. 

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'We discussed the situation at length. I briefed them on the current scenario. All party delegates were present, sharing their suggestions and expressing the need for everyone to come together in this crisis. I thanked them on behalf of the state government. 

They proposed holding all-party meetings at the sub-divisional level, which was a good suggestion. We did not engage in any political discussions; everyone emphasized unity during this crisis to overcome the situation. 

The preliminary assessment of the damage amounts to around Rs. 15,000 crore, which could rise further. I also shared my experience of visiting relief camps. Those who have lost their books will receive new ones from the education department, and bleaching powder is being distributed for all toilets,' said Dr. Saha. He further informed that the state now has 557 relief camps across the state, housing 1.28 lakh people, while around 17 lakh people have been affected. '

All line departments are working. Around 1,603 electric poles have broken, 501 transformers are damaged, and 2 substations have been affected. I shared all these updates during the meeting. We are working to restore normalcy. I am satisfied with the overall discussions. Around 200 engineers are on the ground. We also have an adequate stock of food, and so far, 20,000 food packets have been airlifted and distributed in Gomati and South District. The delegates also requested that the Central Government be kept informed. We have announced Rs. 4 lakh ex-gratia for the families of the deceased and Rs. 2.5 lakh for the injured. They suggested considering whether the compensation amount could be increased. The discussion was fruitful,' Dr. Saha concluded. During the meeting representatives from all the political parties, Secretary PK Chakraborty, Revenue Secretary Brijesh Pandey were present.