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Flood creates havoc in Tripura

By The Assam Tribune

AGARTALA, Aug 12 - Three districts of Tripura were affected by flash floods due to incessant rains and at least 4,500 families were rendered homeless, official sources said today.

More than 2,000 families were forced to take refuge in different Government buildings as large part of the State capital and its low-lying outskirts were inundated, Revenue Minister Badal Chowdhury, who along with District Magistrate of West Tripura district, Milind Ramteke visited the affected areas, said.

He said there were leakages on the dam of Howrah river yesterday, but those were immediately repaired by the district administration. Chowdhury said the water was flowing above the danger level in Howrah river.

District Magistrate of Sipahijala Pradip Chakraborty said that at least 2,500 families were affected due to flood in the district and were sheltered in 60 relief camps opened in the Government buildings and relief materials were distributed since yesterday.

Chowdhury said many parts of Khowai district were also inundated and many people were rendered homeless.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar yesterday reviewed the flood situation in Tripura and asked the administration to arrange for shelter to the people who were rendered homeless and distribute relief materials to them.

The State Government in a notification today declared holiday to all the schools in the State in view of the flood.

Director of Meteorological department Dilip Saha said the regional weather station here recorded 116.55 mm of rains.

He said there was possibility of widespread rain in the next two days. The movement of people and vehicles came to a halt, many shops were closed and attendance in government offices, banks and schools and colleges was also thin due to incessant rains and water logging, sources said.

Centre monitoring situation: The Centre is closely monitoring the rescue and relief operations in flood-affected Tripura, where NDRF personnel have been rushed to assist the State administration. �We are in touch with our teams,� Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said in Delhi.

Rijiju said one team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was mobilised from Agartala for Ashram Chamani colony village in West Tripura district yesterday as the water level had gone up due to an increase in water in Howrah river. During their operations, the team evacuated 357 flood affected people yesterday and 372 people today to safer place.

The NDRF personnel have now moved to Pratapgarh village in the district for rescue operations, Rijiju said. Normal life was paralysed in Agartala yesterday since Friday night. � PTI

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