Meeting with Senior Officials of Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur and Bastar; Directs Authorities to Remain Alert and Responsible Until Normalcy Restored
Raipur (thestates.news) | During his visit to Dantewada district today, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai held a review meeting on flood, disaster and relief operations at the Dankini conference hall of the district office. Collectors and senior officials of Dantewada, as well as those from Sukma, Bijapur and Bastar districts of the Bastar Division, participated in the meeting. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Tankram Verma, Forest Minister and district in-charge Minister Kedar Kashyap, Bastar MP Mahesh Kashyap, regional MLA Chaitram Atami, and District Panchayat President Nandlal Mudami were also present.
CM Sai reviewed the damage caused by heavy rains on August 26 and 27 and the relief efforts carried out by the administration. Addressing officials, he said the prompt response of administrative teams during this natural disaster was commendable. He noted that discussions with villagers in the affected areas made it clear that they were satisfied with the administration’s swiftness and readiness.
Chief Minister Shri Sai said that the natural calamity and devastation that struck last month caused irreparable loss to life, property and infrastructure. He expressed satisfaction that immediate steps were taken by the district administration for rescue and relief operations. He further lauded government officers and employees for contributing one day’s salary as a donation, calling it exemplary. CM Sai pointed out that the floods had caused damage worth ₹115 crore to infrastructure across the four districts, and assured that the State Government would extend all possible support for repairs. He also appreciated the efforts of non-governmental and voluntary organizations.
In the meeting, the Chief Minister directed all officials to continue relief and health camps in the four districts as long as required, until normalcy returns. He instructed the administration to remain in constant touch with the affected people and to ensure uninterrupted health services in the flood-hit areas. He called for regular medical camps to be held, with villagers examined, timely advice given, and necessary medicines and health facilities made available without delay. CM Sai also directed all Collectors to immediately disburse relief funds.
During the meeting, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Subodh Kumar Singh, instructed that traffic on the National Highway must not be disrupted. He asked the Executive Engineer to immediately forward proposals to the Central office and also directed urgent action for repair works on the National Highway in Keshkal.
Meanwhile, Revenue Secretary Reena Babasaheb Kangale instructed Collectors to allocate compensation amounts for livestock loss as per the new guidelines. Director of Health Services Dr. Priyanka Shukla said that continuous door-to-door health surveys must be conducted in the flood-affected areas. She directed health officials to ensure that diseases such as malaria, typhoid and other waterborne illnesses do not spread. She also instructed mandatory chlorination and testing of all drinking water sources.
Earlier, the Collectors of Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur and Bastar presented detailed reports on flood damages and relief operations carried out by their respective administrations as per the agenda. The presentation included data on affected villages, damaged bridges and culverts, disrupted electricity supply, and mobile network outages. Numerical and factual figures on loss of life and property, collapsed houses, and livestock deaths were shared through a PowerPoint presentation.
The Collectors also gave information on rescue operations conducted by the administration, relocation of affected people to relief camps, provision of immediate treatment, and distribution of food supplies. It was noted that residents of villages located along riverbanks and streams suffered the most damage, but timely administrative relief was ensured.
The meeting was attended by Bastar Division Commissioner Doman Singh, Bastar IG Sundarraj P, Dantewada Collector Kunal Dudawat, Sukma Collector Devesh Dhruv, Bijapur Collector Sambit Mishra, Bastar District Panchayat CEO Prateek Jain, along with SPs and other district-level officials.
