Army deployed in flooded areas in Maha

New Delhi: Army was deployed on Saturday in the flood-affected areas of Satara, Sangli, Solapur and Kolapur in Maharashtra which were lashed by heavy rains.

After a meeting to review the situation in Maharashtra as well as Gujarat, a home ministry spokesperson said that one battalion each of National Disaster Relief Response Force (NDRF) has been kept on standby in the two states.

The meeting chaired by Union home secretary V K Duggal also decided to keep two helicopters on standby in Pune.

Earlier in the day, around 2,000 families were evacuated from low-lying areas of Navsari and Bharuch districts in South Gujarat as heavy rains lashed various parts of the state.

Even in Maharashtra authorities had to shift residents from low-lying areas around Mutha, Mula, Bhima and Pavana in Pune.

Fishermen along the Maharashtra-Goa coast were asked not to venture into the sea.