New Delhi: As flood waters receded from several parts of Maharashtra, the situation in the state has improved.
Flood waters in 175 talukas, 5,259 villages and eight cities in 29 districts have started receeding, state Disaster Management Control officials said.
The state control also said that around 219 persons were killed in rain-related incidents in the last five days while 11 persons were still missing.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit flood-affected Nanded district in Marathwada region of Maharashtra on Friday.
The Prime Minister will arrive at Nanded airport from Hyderabad at 1510 hrs (IST) and visit shelters built for flood-affected people.
At 1530 hrs (IST), he will address a meeting of senior government officials and review the flood situation in the state. The Prime Minister, who will also make an aerial survey of flood-hit areas, will leave for Hyderabad at 1620 hrs (IST).
Meanwhile, train services between Maharashtra and Gujarat on the Western Railway route, which had been paralysed due to inundation of tracks following heavy rains, have been restored.
"All trains to Gujarat have been resumed from this morning as the railway tracks were cleared," Western Railways spokesman Pranay Prabhakar said.
Sixteen trains to Surat, the worst-affected area in Gujarat, had been cancelled on Wednesday while a few north India-bound trains were diverted.
Situation in other parts of the state -
Nasik: Rain stops, several villages still submerged
The district got some respite from week-long heavy rains on Thursday though several villages were still submerged, official sources said.
Chandori, Saykheda, Antapur, Sundarnagar, Nimbola and some other villages were still flooded and the administration and social organisations were providing food-packets and drinking water to the people, they said.
Helicopters and boats have already been pressed into service to evacuate people and assist in relief work.
on Wednesday night, 19,500 cusecs of water was released from Gangapur dam, they said, adding senior government officials were monitoring the flood situation.
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Nagpur: RSS members assisting in relief work
Lokkalyan Samiti, an outfit within RSS, has extended help to the flood affected people of Vidarbha region by providing medicines, meals and essential commodities, according to samiti vice-president Vilas Phadanvis.
"About 200 RSS volunteers are assisting in arranging meals, distributing medicines and collecting utensils for the affected-people in worst-hit Yavatmal and Chandrapur districts", Phadanvis said.
RSS activists are enaged in relief work in Umarkhed, Kelapur, Babhulgaon, Ralegaon, Darwah taluka along with Patan and Bori areas and have provided cooked food, linen and medicines, he said.
To collect essential commodities and utensils, RSS activists, along with students and teachers, would take out rallies at other places, Phadanvis stated.
Samiti has appealed to citizens to donate plastic mats, buckets, kitchen utensils and cash to meet the requirements.
Samiti was working with local units of BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal and other Sangh Parivar members for collecting and distributing relief material in Vidarbha region.
Surat: Flood situation improves
The flood situation in Surat has improved slightly since last night following reduction in discharge of water from Ukai dam into river Tapti, but half of the city continues to remain submerged.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi is on an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of south Gujarat while the army and district administration have intensified relief and rescue operations. Rail and road traffic has also been restored.
Officials expect the outflow from the dam to further reduce by this evening. "The situation is improving as the waters have started receding due to less release of water from Ukai dam and completion of high tide in the sea. We are engaged in resecue and relief operations," District Collector Vatsala Vasudevan said.
"The inflow of the Ukai dam is 5.94 lakh cusecs and the outflow is 6.50 lakh cusecs. As the water in the dam has crossed danger level of 345 ft, the release of water is higher than the inflow. But the administration is considering of bringing the outflow below six lakh cusecs which is likely to ease the situation," a Flood Control Room source said.
However, control room officials said although "50 per cent of Surat is under water, it will recede as quickly as it had entered the city".
Control room officials said that although the water level of the Tapti river is gradually coming down, the Nehru bridge is still inundated with water.
Meanwhile, Ahmedabad railway officials said water has receded from tracks between Surat and Bharuch making it possible for rail traffic to resume on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai route.
National Highway eight, which had been closed yesterday, has also reopened for traffic, officials said.
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