Agartala, Aug 26: Flood waters have started to recede in many parts of Tripura after the improvement in the last two days but problem still continues with 1.17 lakh people still sheltered in 525 relief camps in various districts.
The catastrophic flood which hit the state for the first time in over three decades, so far, has claimed 31 lives, including women and children, in six of the eight districts – South Tripura, Gomati, West Tripura, Sepahijala, Unakoti and Khowai since August 19, and two persons still missing.
“We have lost everything in the flood. Our house was damaged because the flood water entered in our house causing extensive damage to the utensils. Now, the flood water has receded but our problem continues. We have started cleaning the house. We urge the government to provide us medicines and help us to repair our house,” an old lady told Hub News.
She added, “Most of the people living here are daily wage earners but the flood has taken everything from us. The people have lost everything in the flood.”
“Our bed was completely damaged in the flood water. Most of the kitchen utensils got washed away in the flood. For last two days, we cannot sleep because our bed was damaged. We are not getting any help from the government side. We have not seen such flood in our lifetime, it was devastating. We urge government to compensate us for our damage in the recent wave of flood,” said Lalan Kumar, a resident of Abhay Nagar in Agartala.
Most of the people of Abhay Nagar in Agartala have faced the wrath of flood because the whole area was inundated for several days. The people living in Abhay Nagar are mostly migrant labourers.
Tripura chief minister Manik Saha on Sunday convened an all-party meeting in Agartala to address the severe flood situation that has devastated large parts of the state.
The meeting saw leaders from various political parties set aside their differences to collectively strategize on relief measures for those affected by the disaster.
A significant outcome of the meeting was the directive issued to schools across the state to provide free textbooks to students who have been impacted by the floods. This initiative aims to ensure that the education of young learners is not further disrupted by the calamity.
The Chief Minister, speaking to reporters after the meeting, provided a preliminary estimate of the losses incurred due to the floods, pegging the figure at a staggering Rs. 15,000 crore.
Emphasizing the need for a united response, he praised the cross-party cooperation exhibited during the discussions.
Chief Minister Saha also highlighted the extensive relief efforts already underway. He informed that 700 medical camps have been established in recent days, providing essential healthcare services to those in need.
Additionally, approximately 23,000 food packets have been air-dropped to areas where residents remain stranded due to floodwaters.
In a move to provide immediate financial assistance to the families of those impacted by the disaster, the Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 4 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person. Those who have sustained injuries in the floods will receive Rs. 2.5 lakh.
Disaster Management officials on Sunday said, as per the initial estimates, around 20,300 houses have been damaged partly and fully due to the heavy rains, landslides and flood across the state.
However, vast areas including croplands and human habitations in urban and rural areas are still inundated.
Landslides occurred in a record number of 2,066 places and many important highways, including on the National Highway- 8, the lifeline of Tripura.
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