Panchkula (Haryana) [India], September 7 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday flagged off vehicles carrying relief material to flood-affected areas in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab from the State BJP Office amid the continuous rainfall across the state.

The Chief Minister sent 15 trucks carrying relief material from Panchkula for Punjab today and 10 trucks to Himachal Pradesh.

Speaking to mediapersons in Panchkula, the Chief Minister said, '15 trucks carrying relief material will be flagged off from Panchkula for Punjab today, and 10 trucks will go to Himachal Pradesh... Such situations of natural calamities should not be politicised. It is our duty to help people...'

Reacting to the flood situation in Haryana, CM Saini said that Rs 4 lakh was sent to those whose houses were destroyed or whose families have suffered casualties.

'There is a lot of flooding in the low-lying areas of Haryana. I am meeting people and assuring them that we will face this natural calamity together... We have sent Rs 4 lakh to those whose houses were destroyed or whose families have suffered casualties. Those who have been injured have also been provided compensation...' the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said that floods continue to affect large parts of the state, with 48 more villages, 2,691 people and 2,131 hectares of standing crops coming under the impact during the last 24 hours.

Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian also pointed out that the floods claimed three more lives in the last 24 hours, with fatalities reported from Amritsar and Rupnagar.

'This has taken the overall death toll in the state to 46 across 14 districts. In addition, three people are still missing in Pathankot district,' he said.

Expressing gratitude to the armed forces and disaster response teams for their support, Minister Mundian said that 23 teams of the NDRF were actively engaged in relief and rescue operations in Amritsar, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Pathankot and Rupnagar, while two teams of the SDRF were deployed in Kapurthala.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army, along with other disaster response forces, continued to carry out rescue and relief operations on Saturday. (ANI)