Gujarat floods: Heavy rain disrupts life in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar; over 54,000 relocated

Ahmedabad: Heavy rains pounded Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts on Friday, disrupting rail and road traffic, even as people dissatisfied with relief measures clashed with police in Arvalli district. [caption id=“attachment_2960278” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. CNN-News18[/caption] Swirling floodwaters washed a part of a railway line, leading to suspension of 36 trains from the Ahmedabad division of Western Railway. Six trains were diverted, one was rescheduled and 14 were short-terminated, railway officials said. State administration officials said 54,517 people have been shifted to safer places over the last one week due to flooding of low-lying areas. Ahmedabad gauged over 200 millimeter of rainfall in 24 hours till 6 pm on Thursday, forcing relocation of more than 10,000 people even as the Sabarmati river swelled due to the release of water from the Dharoi dam and the Vasna barrage, district collector Avantika Singh said. Several localities in the city were waterlogged. The administration announced that schools and colleges will remain closed on Friday too. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani toured affected areas in the city in a boat to take stock of the situation. Army personnel have so far rescued 1,925 people, mainly in the worst-affected region of Deesa in Banaskantha district, a defence release said. “In addition, more than 390 engineers of the Indian Army are using assault boats to traverse the inundated areas, while more than 28 army medical and veterinary teams are providing immediate first aid to the affected persons and animals”, it said. Gandhinagar and Kheda also received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours. Kalol in Gandhinagar tehsil received 255 millimeter of rainfall between 8 am and 4 pm.