With three more deaths, the toll in the flood-ravaged western Maharashtra rose to 54 on Friday, even as the authorities restored a majority of flood-ravaged roads and bridges and distributed a total cash relief of Rs 16.88 crore among the flood victims in the Pune revenue division.

Sangli, which is one of the two worst flood-hit districts in western Maharashtra after Kolhapur, accounted for a maximum of 26 deaths, including 17 persons killed in a boat tragedy on August 8.

While there have been 10 deaths in Kolhapur, Pune and Satara districts have reported nine and eight deaths respectively. There has been one death in Solapur district. Four persons have been missing in Sangli, Kolhapur and Pune districts.

The situation in Sangli and Kolhapur districts, which witnessed unprecedented floods early this month, is fast returning to normal. “We have restored traffic on the 37 out of the total 47 damaged roads in Sangli. In Kolhapur, traffic has resumed in 65 out of the total 88 roads which had been closed early this month.  State Transport bus services have resumed on 39 out of 45 routes in Sangli and on 26 out of 31 routes in Kolhapur district,” Pune Divisional Commissioner Dr Deepak Mhaisekar said.

With banking services crippling back to normal in the affected areas, the banks have reopened 229 ATS out of total 329 ATMs in Sangli district and 390 out of 647 ATMs in Kolhapur district.

The relief work has picked up pace during the past few days.  “We have distributed cash relief amounting to a total of Rs 16,88,75,000  among 33,775 flood victim families in five districts of the Pune revenue division  at the rate of Rs 5000 per family. Similarly, we have distributed 2388.9 quintals of wheat, 2,388.9 quintals of rice and 10,251 litres of kerosene among 23,889 affected families,” Mhaisekar said.

As many as 7,847 cattle including cows, bulls and buffaloes have perished in the flood waters, while more 1,065 goats, sheep and 160 calves or donkeys have either been killed or have gone missing during the floods.