A pall of gloom descends upon Maharashtra's Taliye as rains ravage village

A pall of gloom descended at picturesque Taliye village in Raigad district where there were once more than 40-odd houses that came under the debris of a big landslide as heavy downpour and chain of landslides left a trail of destruction at the coastal Konkan belt and Western Maharashtra.

People could not hold back tears as rescuers managed to retrieve the body of a seven-month-old baby from the debris on Saturday morning.

Relatives were seen wailing and crying at the fringes of the village even as teams of NDRF and SDRF undertook a search, rescue and relief operation in Taliye located near Mahad.

“I was born here, my house is gone…six of my family members stayed here,” said Ankita, one among those who had rushed to the ill-fated village in search of their relatives.

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The main place here, Kondekarwadi, was full of life. “We can’t recognise the place…it is the place where I grew up,” said Sandhya, one of the ladies who had come there in search of her parents. “I have lost my mother, father and six relatives,” she said, breaking down.

“My family members survived but it is a big tragedy for us,” said Mahandra Pol, who pointed out that it happened all of a sudden. “The village had never thought that this could happen to them,” he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray visited the Taliye village and assured that the survivors would be rehabilitated and resettled.

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“You have faced a major tragedy. Hence, right now, you just need to take care of yourself. Leave the rest to the government. We will ensure that everyone is rehabilitated and compensated for their losses,” Thackeray told the villagers.

Raigad district Collector Nidhi Choudhary said while the Chief Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those who lost their lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. “The government would take care of the injured undergoing treatment,” she said.

Thackeray was accompanied by Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, Transport Minister Anil Parab, Minister of State for Information Aditi Tatkare, Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare and Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte.

According to the latest reports, around 50 have died in the tragedy while over 30-odd others are reported missing.