Cancel Thane Mayor Marathon, give funds for flood relief: MNS

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) student wing on Tuesday urged city mayor Meenakshi Shinde to cancel the upcoming Thane Marathon and donate the funds used on its organisation for relief to people affected by floods in the state. The Thane Marathon is being organised on August 18.

MNS student wing district unit president Sandeep Pachange said it is seen that Rs 60 lakh-Rs 75 lakh is spent every year on Thane Mayor Marathon. 

"This money can be used to provide relief to people who have lost their livelihood in the floods that have ravaged Sangli, Kolhapur and Satara districts of western Maharashtra," he said and appealed to the mayor to cancel the event.

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What is the Thane Mayor Marathon?

The 30th Thane Varsha Marathon is to be held on 18th August 2019 where athletes from all over the state participate in the marathon organised by Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in collaboration with the Thane District Athletic Association. Government and private schools from Thane are set to participate in the event, as informed by the Mayor.

Flood situation in Maharashtra

Kolhapur and Sangli districts have been battling unprecedented floods since the last eight days following heavy rains in Konkan and western parts of the state where 40 people have lost their lives in the deluge. 

Water has started receding in Maharashtra’s flood-hit Kolhapur district and the Mumbai- Bengaluru national highway. Continuous discharge of water from Almatti dam in Karnataka brought down the water level of the Panchganga river in Kolhapur where it was flowing above the danger mark.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 11 conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts.

Around 105 teams of the Army, Air Force, Navy, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Coast Guard, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police and local officials were carrying out rescue operations in the western Maharashtra region, officials said.

Nearly 4.48 lakh people were so far evacuated from flood-hit areas across the state, including 4.04 lakh from Kolhapur and Sangli. They were shifted to 372 temporary camps and shelters, a senior state official said on August 11.

(With PTI Inputs)