rediff.com: Central team in AP to oversee flood relief

HTML> rediff.com: Central team in AP to oversee flood relief


	HOME \| NEWS \| REPORT

August 26, 2000

NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!
  Books     Music
  Apparel   Jewellery
  Flowers   More..
Safe Shopping

Central team in AP to oversee flood relief

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Union Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar reached Hyderabad on Saturday morning, along with 10 central government officials, after torrential rain claimed 140 lives in Andhra Pradesh over the last few days.

He then left for Nandyal town, which has been flooded for two days, following heavy rain.

Kumar is to visit Guntur and return to Hyderabad in the evening, when he will meet the Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Nearly 40,000 people, who were affected by the rain and subsequent floods, have been provided shelter and the state government is taking precautions to ensure that no disease spreads.

Naidu said in the state legislative assembly on Saturday morning that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee promised that the Central government would consider the release of assistance as soon as the report of the central team is received.

"I have spoken to the prime minister and he is keen to provide assistance to the state at the earliest," he said.

Naidu said relief and rescue operations were in full swing in all affected districts. The authorities have also launched work on a war-footing for repairs and restoration of roads, bridges, culverts, power supply lines, drinking water supply and minor irrigation tanks.

He said that the civic infrastructure was severely damaged in several towns, as well as in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

He listed out relief measures underway in the state and the quantum of assistance to be provided to the affected people, including farmers. He said permanent restoration measures would be required.

An action plan would be formulated for restoration of civic infrastructure and rehabilitation of the affected people in the twin cities.

The chief minister again blamed the India Meteorological Department for not making an accurate forecast about rainfall in the state capital. "An IMD official told us that that there would be four centimetres of rainfall, but we got an unprecedented 24 centimetres of rainfall in the state capital. These forecasts are not accurate," he said.

Naidu said that the situation was still grim on the outskirts of Hyderabad, with breaches being reported at Fox Sagar (near Jedimetla township) and Langar Hauz (near Golconda fort).

Hundreds of people are being evacuated from low-lying areas around these two tanks, he added.

The legislative assembly met on Saturday after two days. However, the Congress and Communist Party of India-Marxists are still boycotting the assembly session, in protest against the state government's decision to hike the power tariff.

EARLIER REPORT
AP twin cities limp back to normalcy

Tell us what you think of this report