Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday about the flood situation in the state.

“I explained the entire situation to PM Modi today morning. We are being given his support. I am happy that we continued the rescue operations overnight. The five people of Sehore district stranded in Narela village were rescued at 2:30 am,” said CM Chouhan.
The Chief Minister said that three people who were trapped in a village in Balaghat district have also been airlifted.

“Floods have caused havoc in more than 394 villages in nine districts of Madhya Pradesh. So far, more than 7,000 people have been rescued and taken to safer places. Five people stranded in Chhindwara have been airlifted by helicopter,” said CM Chouhan.

CM Chouhan said that two Air Force helicopters were coming to Hoshangabad, Sehore and Raisen but due to bad weather they had to return.

“One has gone to Jhansi and the other to Nagpur. We have asked for additional helicopters from the Air Force. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) teams are fully engaged,” said CM Chouhan.

“We have also reduced water discharge from the dam but there is still a possibility of rain. I urge people not to insist on staying in the villages that the administration is requesting them to leave. To the extent possible, we are trying to make all arrangements in relief camps,” he added.

The Chief Minister on Saturday held a high-level meeting on the rain and flood situation in the state, said the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

In the meeting, the Chief Minister directed the officials concerned to pay full attention to the Narmada river and its tributaries as heavy rains are likely to continue in parts of the state for the next 48 hours.

In the review meeting, the Chief Minister said that attention must be paid to the Narmada River and its tributaries. He also directed officials to stay in touch with teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in case of emergency situations, as per the CMO.

Disaster management teams of districts are continuously active, he said. The Chief Minister has directed the commissioners of Hoshangabad, Jabalpur, and Indore divisions to keep reviewing the situation.