Top BJP leaders L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj on Sunday spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram about the grave flood situation in the BJP-ruled state of Uttarakhand.
Sources in the BJP said Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' apprised Advani and Swaraj of the flood situation. Thereafter, Swaraj spoke to the Prime Minister.
Advani broached the topic when he rang up Chidambaram to enquire about the firing incident at Delhi's Jama Masjid in which two foreign nationals were injured.
Sources said the PM told Swaraj that he would direct the Cabinet Secretary to get in touch with the state government. Advani asked Chidambaram to keep disaster management authorities on alert and provide all possible assistance to the state, sources said.
Meanwhile, at least 41 people were killed overnight as incessant rains wreaked havoc in the hill state triggering landslides and floods which rendered hundreds homeless.
Authorities shut schools for three days as the death count owing to relentless rains rose to 60 in the past two days.
The help of the Army and ITBP had been sought for relief and rescue operations in the state where major rivers were flowing above the red mark, an official spokesman said.
Seven people were still trapped under the debris of flattened houses in cloudburst-hit villages, he said.
River Ganga, flowing two metre above the danger mark in Hardwar, inundated several areas in the district with holy place Har-Ki-Pauri completely submerged.
Rivers Yamuna, Kosi and Ramganga were also in spate as the weather bureau predicted heavy rains in the state in the next 48 hours.
Almora district was the worst hit with landslides striking several villages killing 28 people, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre said.
Naintal accounted for 11 deaths, Hardwar seven and Pauri three, it said.
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