Vadodara: The shifting operation in 26 low lying areas of rain flood ravaged Vadodara city in central Gujarat is on in full swing even as till 2 pm this afternoon a total of 4412 people from these areas including a large number of women and children have been relocated to safer places.

According to the official information received from the State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) in Gandhinagar, a total of 5 NDRF, 4 SDRF teams have been involved in the rescue operations. Two columns of army and as many companies of the state reserve police (SRP), district police and teams of fire brigade of Vadodara and Surat Municipal Corporations were also deployed for the major rescue operation in the city which had seen an extremely heavy downpour of 499 mm yesterday.

The Airport in Harini area has also been shut and efforts were on to start flight operations from this afternoon. Rail and road trafiic has also seen disruption and over 20 trains have so far either been cancelled, diverted or short terminated due to the water logging around Vadodara railway station.

Dy Mamlatdar of the SEOC U V Rao said that five more teams of NDRF have been sent to Vadodara from Pune.

He said that the water level in the river Vishwamitri was now stable and once it starts receding the water from the low lying areas in the city would also recede quickly.

Food packets have also been distributed in the wake of flood in the low lying areas.

Collector Vadodara Shalini Agrawal said that the water in the city was not receding because of the opening of sluice gates of Ajwa dam and inflow of more water due to rains in the catchment area of river Vishwamitri.

Water has also entered the local Sayajibaug zoo and government run SSG hospital premises making things bad to worst.

As apprehended earlier crocodiles from Vishwamitri river that flows from the midst of the city and other water bodies have also entered the city through flood waters. At least two crocodiles were seen by locals in a residential area in the city.

DeshGujarat