Valsad/Navsari, July 25 — Gujarat BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma visited flood-hit areas of Valsad district on Saturday, meeting affected residents and distributing relief materials as rescue and relief operations continued across parts of the state following days of exceptionally heavy rainfall.
Vishwakarma first visited rain-affected areas in Umargam taluka to assess the situation before travelling to the villages of Kunta and Salvav in Vapi, where he interacted with residents and reviewed the ongoing rescue and relief efforts.
He distributed essential relief materials to people affected by the flooding. During the visit, Vishwakarma appealed to BJP office-bearers, elected representatives and party workers to continue coordinating with the government administration until normalcy is restored.
He urged them to assist relief and rescue operations and ensure affected families receive cooked meals, food packets, drinking water and other essential services.
State Cabinet Minister Kanu Desai, BJP state general secretary Prashant Korat, Member of Parliament and state co-spokesperson Dhaval Patel, Valsad district BJP president Hemant Kansara, along with other party leaders and workers, accompanied him during the visit.
The visit came as rescue agencies continued responding to flood-related emergencies across Gujarat.
According to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Team 6H of the 06 Battalion was redeployed from Valsad to Banaskantha district on the directions of the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) in Gandhinagar.
The team proceeded to the Collector's Office in Palanpur before moving to Deesa taluka and reaching the Mamlatdar Office there for monsoon deployment.
In Ahmedabad district, NDRF teams carried out multiple flood-water rescue operations in Dholka taluka.
A team led by Inspector (GD) Basant Tirkey rescued 11 people, comprising three men, six women and two children, from the Maflipur area after reaching the site shortly before 1 p.m.
Rescue operations remained in progress under the directions of the district administration.
In a separate operation at Betawada village in Dholka, another NDRF team led by Inspector Mahabir Mohanty evacuated 63 people, including 18 men, 26 women and 19 children.
Officials said the operation was continuing as directed by the district administration. The Gujarat government also issued a public advisory urging people not to pay attention to rumours, to rely only on official sources of information and not to forward unverified messages during the ongoing emergency.
South Gujarat has been among the worst-affected regions after days of intense monsoon rainfall.
Valsad and neighbouring Navsari have witnessed widespread flooding, prompting large-scale rescue operations by the NDRF, State Disaster Response Force and the Indian Army.
Army personnel have also rescued stranded residents in Navsari, while relief and evacuation efforts continue in several low-lying areas.
Authorities are assessing damage as floodwaters begin to recede in some locations, although restoration work and humanitarian assistance remain under way.