Mumbai :After taking stock of the damages in flood-ravaged western Maharashtra and Konkan, chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray on Friday announced to rehabilitate residents in flood-prone villages to safer places and also hinted at taking stricter steps to remove the illegal constructions from the floodplains on riverbanks.CM said that a consensus will be built among the political parties over the plan of rehabilitation and action against the encroachments, as well as measures to avoid such calamities in the future.

Thackeray visited parts of Kolhapur that are flooded for more than a week. He had visited flood-affected Mahad in Raigad and Chiplun in Ratnagiri last week.

While talking about encroachments in the floodplains in the rivers at Sangli and Kolhapur and the recommendations by the expert committees for their removal, CM said that its time for stricter decisions to remove these structures.

He said that the district collectors have been directed to remove them immediately and ensure that new structures do not come up on the blue and red lines of the riverbanks.

Thackeray said that he has asked authorities to compile with the key recommendations made by the MadhavGadgil and NandkumarVadnere committees.

“We will have to take some harsh decisions related to these structures. If we don’t act in time, these crises will keep occurring frequently. Blue and red lines have been demarcated for the riverbanks. If we do not follow them, there was no point in marking them. I have asked the collectors to take action against them [encroachments]. The floods have brought before us a grave reality, and we want the crisis to be turned into an opportunity. We are determined to implement the plan chalked out to avoid any such losses in the future,” CM said at a press conference.

He said that the government has chalked out a plan for the rehabilitation of the people from the vulnerable villages which are prone to the landslides.

“We have been witnessing unprecedented crises in the form of landslides, caving in of roads, flooding. The plan is being prepared for the rehabilitation of these people. We are taking suggestions from the opposition parties to bring them on the same page by keeping politics aside. Once a consensus was built, stringent decisions would not be difficult. I would also urge locals to stand by the government for these steps,” he said.

Meanwhile, energy minister NitinRaut announced in Sangli said electricity bills will recovered from locals in the flood-affected areas.

“Until the situation does not become normal, consumers in these areas will not be served bills or asked to pay the pending bills. Whether or not to give a complete waiver on the bills is a decision that the state cabinet has to take. We are, however, thinking of discounts in electricity bills to the flood-affected people,” he said.