Will airlift people if need arises, says CM Shinde as heavy rains batter Pune

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said if the need arises, the rain-hit people will be airlifted in Pune, where incessant downpour has claimed four lives and inundated residential colonies and houses in low-lying areas.

Shinde said he has spoken to the Pune district collector and civic body chiefs in the city and its neighbouring Pimpri Chinchwad, an industrial township.

He has also spoken to officials of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to seek their help in the evacuation.

"If the need arises, we have told them to airlift people. There is no need to worry," the chief minister said.

He said he has directed the administration to stay on alert mode and make necessary arrangements and ensure there is no loss of life.

Shinde said he was keeping an eye on the situation and has spoken to Deputy Chief Minister and Pune Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also monitoring the situation from the control room in the Mantralaya, the state secretariat in Mumbai.

Three men died in Pune city early on Thursday while they were trying to move their handcart, submerged in water in Deccan area, to a safer place, while one person died in a landslide in Tamhini ghat section in Mulshi tehsil, officials said.

Several low-lying areas in the city got inundated due to the rainwater and the local authorities have launched operations to evacuate the stranded people.