The minister said that out of the total 39 closed roads in Patan district, 13 have been opened by the Road and Building Department and the repair work on the remaining roads is underway.Over 1,678 citizens were rescued and evacuated in Banaskantha district, informed senior Gujarat minister and state government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel while sharing details of the state preparedness to deal with the ongoing monsoon furyGiving details about the situation of heavy rains in Banaskantha, Patan and Kutch districts, Rushikesh Patel said that following the India Meteorological Department’s forecast, based on Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel’s directives, the state government had already started preparations.In an official statement issued on Wednesday, the minister said: “As part of the relief and rescue operations in Banaskantha district, over 1,678 citizens were successfully rescued and evacuated by joint teams of police, administration, NDRF, SDRF and Home Guard from the affected talukas such as Suigam, Bhabhar, Vav and Tharad”.Rushikesh Patel said that 69 people were successfully rescued from 8 to 10 feet deep water by the SDRF team in Bhatwar village of Vav taluka. People were also rescued from villages including Bhardwa, Bhatwarvas, Tirthgam in Suigam taluka, he said. The minister said that 3 lakh food packets and as many water bottles have been distributed in the affected areas, and an emergency kitchen has been started in Tharad, where more than 7,000 citizens are being fed every day.Giving details about the relief and rescue operations in Patan district, Rushikesh Patel said that SDRF and fire team successfully rescued eight citizens in Kalyanpura village of Santalpur, 35 citizens in Vauva village and 15 citizens in Par village. Apart from this, 5,000 food packets were distributed by multiple charitable organisations, 150 tarpaulin and utensil kits were distributed by the Red Cross Society in Vauva village, and generators and other necessary materials were also arranged, he was quoted as saying in the statement.He added that out of the 80 villages in Santalpur taluka, power supply was restored in 70. In addition, power supply has been restored in 127 villages out of 132 villages of Radhanpur taluka.The minister said that out of the total 39 closed roads in Patan district, 13 have been opened by the Road and Building Department and the repair work on the remaining roads is underway. Due to heavy rain, Rapar, Bhachau, Nakhatrana and Abdasa talukas are the most affected, the minister stated sharing details about the situation of heavy rain in Kutch district.Story continues below this adOver 1,105 mm rain was recorded in Kutch district, due to which the power network has been severely affected. The administration has restored electricity in 251 out of 253 affected villages. Apart from this, 396 feeders were affected, out of which 247 feeders and 106 electricity poles have been restored.Meanwhile, Kutch District Collector Anand Patel has appealed to the citizens to stay away from rivers, canals, dams, water bodies, and not to go on dangerous roads, embankments, and causeways. In addition, a control room has been made operational 24×7 for the citizens. Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:ahmedabad