Bhopal: Excess rainfall and flooding in parts of Madhya Pradesh have damaged crops in seven lakh hectare area of 14 districts, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday and assured farmers that all possible measures will be taken to compensate for their losses.
After conducting an aerial survey of the affected areas on Sunday, Chouhan embarked on a boat in the Hoshangabad district on Monday to assess the damage caused to crops and other properties due to flooding and heavy downpour in the past few days, sources said.
On the way, the chief minister also interacted with the villagers to know their problems, the sources said.
Before leaving for the survey, Chouhan in an official release said “crops were damaged in nearly seven lakh hectare area in 14 districts of the state“.
“Farmers should not get worried about the losses. The government is in action and all possible measures will be taken to compensate them through crop insurance scheme and RBC (revenue book code) provisions,” he said.
As rains have subsided, the water level is coming down in these areas and the situation is under control, he said.
“We have made arrangements for food and drinking water in relief camps and we have also informed the Union home minister about the current situation in the state,” he said.
The chief minister said it will be a major challenge to maintain hygiene, prevent the outbreak of diseases, provide clean drinking water, and restore electricity lines in the affected areas.
Local administrations are doing their job and state ministers will also be entrusted with these responsibilities, he said.
Referring to a bridge that got damaged in the Seoni district, Chouhan said the reasons behind it will be probed.
The overflowing Wainganga river on Sunday washed away the bridge built over it just a month ago under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana near Sunwara village in Seoni.
The chief minister also thanked the Indian Air Force (IAF) and other agencies for helping the state government in the rescue and relief operations.