The roads that were blocked after cyclone Nisarga created havoc in Raigad district on June 3, have finally been cleared, Collector and District Magistrate Nidhi Choudhari said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths has increased to five after one of the six injured succumbed during treatment. The latest victim, a man from Pen, had come beneath an electrical pole and received head injuries.
“The roads connecting all the 1,905 villages have been cleared and the National Disaster Response Force teams have been withdrawn. By Sunday, we could travel to all the villages without any hurdle. However, work is under way in small gallis in some of the villages,” Ms. Choudhari told The Hindu .
Electricity to 785 villages has been restored till now, she said. “The villages where power is yet to return are mainly from Shrivardhan, Murud, Mhasla, Mangaon, Tala and Alibaug talukas.”
Vehicle-mounted generators are being sent to the villages which are still in the dark. “The generators are being used to pump water and also to charge inverters at residences. Some households are also using them to charge their mobile phones as the telecommunication network is working,” the Collector said.
Around 25 engineers, 80 staff, eight contractors, and 170 labourers have been deployed in the district for restoring the electricity.
Trees have fallen onto wadis and residential compounds causing extensive damage, Ms. Choudhari said, urging people to be alert as many trees would have become weak and might collapse.
With many houses becoming roofless as tin and trampoline sheets were blown away, there is a sudden surge in demand of such sheets in market following which the prices have drastically gone up. “When we got to know of the issue, we contacted a few manufacturers from Nashik, Palghar and Raigad, who have started supplying them in large numbers. We have also reached out to the State Industries Department on this matter,” Ms. Choudhari said.
