Maharashtra: National Disaster Response Force deploys 34 teams in rescue & relief operations

Hawaldar Datta Das of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) heard the cries of an infant while he was busy with his team in rescue operations in flood-battered Kolhapur.

Wading through the water, he managed to reach the child, wrapped him in a pink sheet lying by the side and brought him to a relief camp. The image of Das carrying the baby went viral on Saturday.

The child is among thousands rescued by the NDRF, the federal force that carries out rescue operations across the country. It is not clear if the infant was reunited with his family but for the force, every life saved in the marooned state matters.


"Our job entails risk of life and limb but at the end of the day, saving lives matters. Our endeavour is to rescue maximum people," said Pavan Dev Gaur, deputy commandant, 5th NDRF Bn Pune (Maharashtra).

As many as 34 teams of the NDRF have been deployed across Maharashtra, including six each in Kolhapur and Ratnagiri which are among the worst affected districts. In addition, there are half a dozen teams from the State Disaster Response Force and seven Naval Flood Rescue Teams deployed in Ratnagiri and Raigad. The navy said it has deployed two helicopters as well as readied additional flood rescue teams in Mumbai for any immediate deployment.

"Rains and floods are compounded with incidents of landslides. This hampers the operations. The soil in the landslide area is loose and the sludge makes pulling off the bodies difficult," Gaur of the NDRF said. "But we have got complete assistance from the state in terms of heavy machinery and this has aided in the operations."