Delhi-Noida floods: NDRF rescues cows, dogs, bull worth Rs 1 crore

The National Disaster Response Force has rescued more than 900 animals, including cows, dogs, goats, rabbits and a bull worth Rs 1 crore, from the flood-affected areas of Delhi and Noida during the last few days, it said on Saturday.

A spokesperson for the federal contingency force said its rescuers undertook a "significant" and "challenging evacuation" in Sector-135 of Noida, neighbouring Delhi, from where it rescued 221 livestock such as cows, calves and goats, dogs and rabbits and "India's number one bull, named Pritam".

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The bull is worth Rs 1 crore, the force said in a Twitter post.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 16 teams in Delhi, apart from a few others in the Delhi and the National Capital Region.

The NDRF spokesperson said its personnel rescued 1,530 people from the flood-affected areas of Delhi and evacuated 6,345 people along with 912 livestock. These figures pertain to NDRF operations undertaken over the last two-three days in Delhi-NCR, where the swollen Yamuna river has led to severe flooding in certain areas.

On Friday, the force rescued 30 animals, including cows and buffaloes, from the Usmanpur area of Delhi following a 12-hour operation, he said.

The NDRF also provided basic medical care to these distressed animals through its cadre of veterinary doctors.

About 500 people have also been provided medical care by NDRF doctors since the force was deployed for evacuation and rescue, the spokesperson said.

A total of 65 NDRF teams have been deployed in north Indian states such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to tackle the rain and flood disasters during the ongoing monsoon, the spokesperson said, adding that the force rescued more than 2,286 and evacuated 17,492 people. It also rescued 1,407 livestock from the affected areas.