Uddhav Thackeray was unable to visit Satara due to low visibility at Koyna helipad

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray could not visit the flood-affected areas of Satara district on Monday as planned and has to return to Pune Airport because his helicopter was unable to land at the Koyna helipad due to low visibility.

"CM Uddhav Thackeray was on his way to visit the flood-affected areas of Satara district. However, his helicopter was unable to land at the Koyna helipad due to low visibility. It has hence returned to Pune Airport," the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) informed.

The CM will, however, take information from the Satara District Collector and other agencies to see that there, the people of the flood-hit area, do not have any trouble in getting help, CMO informed in a tweet.

"The water in this area is not completely depleted yet, and the weather is also an obstacle. Therefore, rescue work should be carried out carefully, and flood victims should be provided with food, clothing and medicines immediately," Thackeray said.

Considering the prevalence of COVID, he has instructed the administration to give appropriate instructions to the medical teams. The CM has also told the district administration not to neglect the treatment of COVID patients due to the calamity.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar along with State Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar, and Agriculture Minister of State Vishwajeet Kadam toured various rain-hit villages in Sangli district.

A total of 164 people have lost their lives in the Maharashtra floods till now, while 100 people are still missing, the Department of Relief and Rehabilitation informed.

As the rescue operation in the state continues at a rapid pace, a total of 34 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Maharashtra.

Most teams of NDRF (8) are presently deployed at the Kolhapur district, followed by 6 teams deployed at Ratnagiri.

4 teams each have been deployed in Satara and Pune, and 3 have been deployed in Mumbai. For the districts of Sindhudurg, Sangli, and Thane, one team of NDRF each has been deployed.

2 teams of Coast Guard are also working at Ratnagiri, while 2 units of Army are deployed at Kolhapur and Sangli. 3 teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are working for the Raigad district and 1 team for Wardha.

A total of 142 boats, including 131 of NDRF, are engaged in the rescue operation.

( With inputs from ANI )