Taking a jibe at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over his short visit to Cyclone Tauktae-affected Konkan area of the state, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State Legislative Council and BJP leader Pravin Darekar said that the Chief Minister's visit was a photo - opportunity as he did not meet any cyclone victim and concluded the two review meetings at airports.
Speaking to ANI, on Saturday, Darekar said, "The Maharashtra government is avoiding their responsibilities and accountabilities. The financial aid for the cyclone-affected area will be provided by the Centre, which will be distributed to the needy through SDRF."
The Prime Minister had earlier also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured in Cyclone Tauktae in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the UTs of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
"Uddhav Thackeray visited the Konkan area for three hours, while BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and I visited the cyclone-affected areas from Raigad to south Sindhudurg over the past three days. The Chief Minister landed on Ratanagiri and held a meeting there. From there, he took a helicopter and landed at Chipi Airport at Sindhudurg. He also held a meeting here too. If he just had to hold the meeting, it should have held at Ministry," he said.
Hitting on the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP leader said, "He visited the cyclone-affected area for photo-sessions. He did not even meet a single victim during the visit. It is the duty of a people's representative to visit the affected areas so that proper decisions can be taken."
Maharashtra's former CM Devendra Fadnavis and BJP leader Pravin Darekar visited the Konkan area after Cyclone Tauktae hit the coastal region of the state.
"Did a meeting at Ratnagiri Collector office to know about the damages & measures taken by administration after #CycloneTauktae. Also discussed about prevailing #COVID19 situation in the district. LoP @mipravindarekar, @DombivlikarRavi, @meNeeleshNRane,@PrasadLadInd were present," Fadnavis tweeted on May 20.
Cyclone Tauktae stands to be the strongest storm to impact Gujarat since 1998 as it battered parts of the state and left behind a trail of destruction along the coast. It affected Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and the UTs of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
( With inputs from ANI )
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