By IANS,
Moscow : President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday to take those officials to task who would have failed to provide timely warnings about the deadly floods in southern Russia earlier this month, RIA Novosti reported.
“If it turns out that some official did not fulfill his duties in a timely manner, including the duty of providing advance warning about a flood threat, they will be held responsible in accordance with the law,” he said.
Putin warned Tuesday that heads would roll over the poor handling of the aftermath of the devastating floods.
The floods, which swept through three cities in southern Russia, including Krymsk, July 6-7, killed 171 people and submerged 7,000 homes, causing massive damage to the gas, electricity and water supplies and road and rail links.
Putin directed the Russian Federation Investigative Committee to assess the officials’ performance in responding to the floods, establish the cause of the massive toll, and duly inform the public about its findings before July 23, the Kremlin press service said.
Putin also instructed the authorities at all levels to set up effective cooperation with NGOs in preventing possible emergencies in the future.