Uttar Pradesh

Vishnu

By:Families depend on tractors, fire brigade to carry bodies to crematoriums; thousands trapped in their houses with no water, power; water refuses to recede from streetsThe incessant rains stopped since Tuesday evening, but there was no let-up in the misery of thousands of residents of Vasai, Virar and Nalasopara.It was a picture of absolute despair in Palgarh district as thousands remained trapped in their houses without electricity and water, the public transport system was completely disrupted because of the waterlogged streets and people struggling to ferry the dead to the crematoriums. Even if they somehow reached the crematoriums, there was no power or staff to light the pyre.As many as six persons died in Vasai and Virar in the past three days. While three persons succumbed to natural causes, the other three died due to drowning. While two bodies were carried to the crematorium on tractors, the fire brigade stepped in to help the other families.Sudhakar Joshi, whose 90-year-old friend SK Menon died of natural causes and had to be taken to the crematorium on a tractor, said, "We approached our local corporator (Kiran Chendvankar), who arranged a tractor to take the body to crematorium. At the crematorium, there was no staff to conduct the proceedings. The corporator again had to intervene."In another case, a 26-year-old resident of, Ashish Kumar Varma, who had come to the city for job, died of a lung disease. His family, who wanted to take his body to UP, used a tractor till the highway, where they shifted the body to ambulance.Savara, the guardian minister of Palghar district, visited the flood-affected areas along with Vasai-Virar municipal commissioner Satish Lokhande. "A few areas are waterlogged. Power supply has resumed in a few parts. Water supply will start soon once the water level recedes from the pumping stations. We are taking all efforts to assist the citizens," Lokhande said.Residents complained that they had been doing without electricity and water since Monday evening. Water suction pumps of the Vasai Virar Municipal corporation (VVMC) stopped working in the absence of electricity. The residents claimed that though the low-lying areas get flooded every monsoon, the water recedes quickly. But this time, the situation is different. Many said that the flooding occurred as the drainage outlets were closed for constructing buildings.Chendvankar, the Shiv Sena corporator of ward No 92, said, "Though Vasai witnessed heavy rains this time, the flooding is unusual. The water level has not gone down at all. I will be raising the issues of drainage cleaning and lack of planning with the disaster management department."