One dead, 48 rescued as heavy rains lash Maharashtra
Mumbai (PTI): One person died in a lightning strike, while 48 people were rescued from inundated areas as heavy rains battered several places in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, on Monday, the office of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
“Pune, Satara, Solapur, Raigad, Mumbai and MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) have received heavy rainfall. Daund received 117 mm of rain in 24 hours, Baramati 104.75 mm, while 63.25 mm was recorded in Indapur,” the statement said.
It said 25 houses partially collapsed in Baramati, while seven persons trapped in flooded areas were rescued. “70 to 80 families have been shifted to safer places. Mobile services that were disrupted yesterday are now being restored,” the CM’s Office said.
Two persons were rescued from an inundated spot in Indapur in Pune district.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed in Phaltan in Satara district, which received 163.5 mm of rain.
"Thirty citizens were stranded near Dudhebavi village. They have been provided with accommodation and food facilities,” it said.
In Solapur, which received 67.75 mm of rain in 24 hours, six citizens were trapped in floods in Malshiras taluka, the CMO said. They have been shifted to a safer place. Efforts are underway to rescue three people trapped in the Bhima river bed in Pandharpur, it said.
One person died after being struck by lightning in Raigad district, while the Mahad to Raigad Fort road has been closed due to heavy rains.
In Mumbai, 135.4 mm of rainfall was recorded in the past 24 hours. The city received complaints of waterlogging in six locations, 18 incidents of short circuits, and five complaints of wall collapses. No injuries have been reported in the city so far, the CM’s office said.
Municipal authorities, the fire brigade, Mumbai police, and other emergency services are on standby, while five NDRF teams have been stationed across the city for any emergency response, it said.
Immediate surveys have been ordered in affected areas, said the statement, adding that CM Fadnavis has been in constant touch with the chief secretary and the State Disaster Management Unit.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted more rain in Mumbai over the next 24 hours, accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. The CM's Office has assured that necessary steps are being taken to safeguard citizens and minimise the impact of the ongoing weather conditions.
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Palakkad: Hotel owners hold protest march against gas price hike
Palakkad (Kerala) (PTI): Hotel and restaurant owners on Saturday held a protest march in Palakkad against the recent nearly Rs 1,000 hike in commercial gas cylinder prices.
The protesters marched through the town holding placards and images of gas cylinders. They also carried two cylinders on a stretcher with a wreath placed on top, according to visuals aired on television channels.
The hotel and restaurant owners contended that it would be difficult for them to sustain their businesses in view of the high cost of commercial gas cylinders.
They said that many of them had been forced to shut their establishments earlier due to the scarcity of commercial gas cylinders, and that most had only recently reopened.
“But the sudden increase in commercial gas cylinder prices has affected our operations,” the protesters said.
Similar concerns were raised by restaurant owners and workers from other parts of the state in response to queries from reporters.
The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association had on Friday announced a statewide protest strike on May 6 against the Rs 993 hike in commercial LPG cylinder prices.
KHRA state president G Jayapal said that all hotels and restaurants across Kerala would remain shut on that day in protest against what he termed an “unfair” increase in LPG prices.
He added that over the past five months, the price of a single cylinder had increased by a total of Rs 1,498.
On May 6, establishments will remain closed, and protest marches and dharnas will be held in front of district headquarters and oil company offices, he said.
