Thursday, August 31 2006 11:30 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Barmer: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are touring the worst-affected villages in Barmer district of Rajasthan where at least 104 people have died due to floods.

Mukherjee and Gandhi arrived here by a special IAF aircraft and were making aerial survey of Budaberi and Malwa villages in the frontier Barmer district.

The two leaders are also expected to visit Kawas, which was submerged under 20-25 feet of water.

AICC General Secretaries Ashok Gehlot and Mukul Wasnik are accompanying Gandhi. Rajasthan Congress chief B D Kalla is also touring the affected areas.

Incessant rains in Barmer and adjoining districts in the desert fringe have triggered floods in the area rich in gypsum and lignite deposits.

Thick mineral layers were preventing percolation of water and state authorities are deploying pumps in Kawas and Malwa regions to flush out the water.

The state government has already spent Rs 536 crore, including Rs 218.21 crore on flood relief operations alone, in 12 districts of Rajasthan.

In a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the state government has demanded a special package of Rs 3200.92 crore for relief in flood-affected districts.

State officials said over 12,000 people from three villages of Malwa, Kawas and Bhadraka have to be relocated to safe places in the district.

Nearly 45,000 cattle have been perished in the deluge. The desert fringe districts received more than the season's quota of rain in over the last few days.