SHILLONG:The death toll in the recent flash floods and landslides in the state has risen to 55 with the recovery of three more bodies, even as the flood waters are slowly receding in some areas, official sources said on Monday.
There is light rain in some places in the State.
The NH 61 has been opened for all types of vehicles and NH 62 opened barring few locations. NH 51, AMPT Road, Tura -Baghmara Road, Shillong-Nongstoin- Williamnagar- Tura Road, Damra- Dainadubi- Mendipathar Road, Paikan-Resubelpara Road are all opened to all types of vehicles.
More than two lakh people were affected by the flood waters which have submerged at least 1,172 villages across 27 blocks and over 30 thousand displaced have now been housed in 108 relief camps.
Power restored in most places except Resubelpara and in few areas in Garo Hills Districts.
Purno-Salseng in flood-hit areas: Meanwhile, senior Garo political leaders and elected members, besides chief minister Mukul Sangma, have been touring the affected areas of West and North Garo Hills district since the last few days, reports our Tura Correspondent.
Among them are two stalwarts of the state, former chief ministers Salseng C Marak and Purno A Sangma, who have been touring the affected region and meeting inmates of relief camps overseeing the relief work.
Former Lok Sabha speaker and Tura MP P A Sangma on Monday extensively toured the affected plain belt region of West Garo Hills district stopping at Tikrikilla, Rajabala, Singimari/Hallydayganj and meeting affected people and witnessing first hand the devastation caused by the floods caused by torrential rains on the night of September 21st.
He had also visited the affected areas of Menadoba and Bakinang in North Garo Hills where landslides took the lives of entire families. In his interaction with the inmates of the relief camps Sangma said that he would make it a priority to apprise the central government about the requirements for Garo Hills where nature had unleashed its fury.
The Tura MP who is learnt to have quickly alerted Union minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Monday itself about the trail of destruction rushed back to the region. He immediately announced the sanctioning of twenty-five lakh rupees from his MPLAD scheme for the relief works in Garo Hills while Rajya Sabha MP Wansuk Syiem also released a similar amount from her scheme for the affected areas.
Another senior leader who is camping in the affected region is Salseng Marak, who on Monday accompanied by North Garo Hills deputy Comissioner, W Khyllep, toured the Resubelpara-Bajengdoba areas all the way upto Rari where the floods first began to unleash its fury on Sunday night.
Salseng Marak’s own constituency of Resubelpara has suffered immense damage to roads and bridges and destroyed dwelling homes besides taking away precious lives.