Mumbai, Dec 3 (PTI) Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday released an official communication showing the state government has submitted a detailed flood loss assessment report to the Centre.
The response came after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Omraje Nimbalkar accused the government of failing to submit the mandatory report required for central financial assistance.
Speaking to a regional news channel earlier in the day, Nimbalkar said the reply he received in the Lok Sabha indicated that Maharashtra had not sent a crop damage report.
“If the state maintains it has already submitted the proposal, then why does the official response say otherwise? Farmers deserve transparency,” he remarked.
To rebut the claims, Bawankule made public a letter dated November 27, in which the Maharashtra government sought financial support under the National Disaster Response Fund.
The document, addressed to Rajesh Gupta, Joint Secretary (Disaster Management), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in New Delhi, attached a detailed memorandum on losses incurred due to floods between June and September this year.
According to the memorandum, Maharashtra witnessed “exceptionally severe and widespread flooding” due to erratic and heavy rainfall, flash floods, river overflow and breached embankments. Regions including Marathwada, Vidarbha, Konkan and Western Maharashtra were the worst affected.
The report noted large-scale destruction of crops, livestock, homes, roads, bridges, public utilities and essential community infrastructure, along with disruption of power, transport and water systems. The flooding also resulted in loss of life and displacement of many families.
The submission stated that the scale of the crisis had exceeded the capacity of the State Disaster Response Fund. It mentioned that an Inter-Ministerial Central Team had already visited the flood-hit districts between November 3 and 5 for field assessment, and the memorandum was finalised after district-level verification of damage data.
Signed by Vinita Vaid Singal, principal secretary of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department, the letter requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to process the proposal “expeditiously” due to the urgency of relief and rehabilitation needs. Copies were also marked to senior state officials, including the chief secretary and secretaries to key ministers.
Earlier in September, the state government announced a Rs 31,628-crore relief package for farmers affected by the August-September deluge, which destroyed crops over 68.7 lakh hectares across 29 districts. The Centre had previously released Rs 1,566.40 crore as interim assistance.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the package aimed to help farmers restart agricultural operations, even if full compensation was not possible.
On October 29, the cabinet approved the immediate disbursal of Rs 11,000 crore directly into farmers’ bank accounts. PTI ND GK
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