Home minister assures Maharashtra full support

Mumbai: Home minister Amit Shah on Thursday assured the state government of all assistance from the Centre in the wake of the alarming flood situation in the state. Speaking to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over the phone, Mr Shah informed him that the Union government is closely monitoring the situation in the state. Mr Shah is believed to have also asked Karnataka and Maharashtra to unanimously decide on the amount of water to be discharged from Alamatti dam, which will ease the flood situation in Maharashtra. According to state officials, 22 rescue teams are working in Kolhapur, while 11 teams are deployed in Sangli. In addition to this, another five teams from the NDRF have reached Pune. While two teams are on their way to Kolhapur, two will reach Sangli. One team is likely to remain in Pune. Two more teams of the Indian Coast Guard have also reached Kolhapur. Due to the flood situation in Sangli and Kolhapur, road traffic has been disrupted. Hence, Central Railways has decided to run a special train between Miraj and Karad. Meanwhile, Pune-Mumbai Deccan Queen, Sinhagad Express and Intercity trains will not be running between August 8 and 11.