MLA Padalkar assures urgent help to kin of 9-month-old who died in storm

Kolhapur: BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar on Friday assured immediate govt assistance to the family of the nine-month-old baby boy, who died during a storm in Khalati village on Wednesday evening.The boy, Shrivardhan Anant Shejul, died after strong winds blew away the tin sheets holding his makeshift cradle at Khalati village in Sangli’s Jat tehsil on Wednesday evening. The MLA visited the family of the boy to offer condolences.Calling the incident “extremely tragic and heartbreaking”, Padalkar said the administration had been directed to conduct a panchnama at the earliest and provide financial aid and necessary support to the family. “The natural disaster claimed the life of an innocent child. We share the grief of the Shejul family. The administration must act swiftly and also take stronger preventive measures to avoid such incidents in the future,” he said.The heavy rain accompanied by strong winds on Wednesday night had caused widespread damage in Salgare and Chabukswarwadi areas of Miraj taluka. Several houses lost their roofs, walls collapsed and trees were uprooted, disrupting normal life. Houses, cowsheds, shops and sheds suffered substantial financial losses.The storm also severely impacted agriculture. Fruits like mango, pomegranate, banana and chikoo, which were in the harvesting stage, were knocked down, resulting in losses worth lakhs of rupees. Vineyards too were damaged, with iron structures bent and wires snapping. An official from the Sangli district administration said the process of assessing losses through panchnama was under way.In Satara district, authorities are preparing to issue notices to boat operators in the Koyna backwaters over alleged negligence and to ensure strict compliance with safety guidelines. District disaster management head Devidas Tamhane said action would be taken to enforce regulations and prevent future incidents.Weather conditions across Kolhapur, Satara and Sangli districts remained partly cloudy on Friday. Following the midweek thunderstorm and gusty winds, maximum temperatures dropped by 2-4°, settling below 37°C. The weather department has issued a yellow alert for the region till Sunday, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of up to 30-40 kmph.