The Andhra Pradesh Police on Tuesday stepped up security across the state saying they were well prepared to maintain law and order particularly in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions in the wake of the decision to create separate Telangana.
The death toll due to intense heatwave sweeping Telangana and Andhra Pradesh crossed the 500 figure on Monday, disaster management officials said in Hyderabad.
Will Andhra Pradesh follow the Odisha model, voting differently in Lok Sabha and assembly elections? Or will Odisha follow Andhra Pradesh, voting in new faces in both?
Cyclone Montha crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast, resulting in two deaths, extensive crop damage, and disruptions to power and transportation. Neighboring Telangana also experienced heavy rains. Government relief efforts are underway.
The Andhra Pradesh government has prepared an action plan for relief and essential supplies in pre-cyclone preparedness for Cyclone Montha, expected to cross the coast on October 28.
The South Central Railway as well as the East Coast Railway cancelled several trains while some were terminated midway, officials said, adding a few express trains were also diverted.
UltraTech Cement, an Aditya Birla group company, has become the world's largest cement producer outside China, surpassing 200 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of installed capacity in India. The company plans to invest Rs 16,000 crore to reach a target capacity of 240 mtpa by the financial year 2027-28.
Phailin, a very severe cyclonic storm, on Saturday struck the Odisha coast, bringing in its wake torrential rains and wind speeds of over 200 kmph in the state and in neighbouring north coastal Andhra Pradesh.
At least 8 people have died after a blast ripped through the Gas Authority of India Limited site at Nagaram village in Andhra Pradesh.
"Montha over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 17 kmph during the past six hours and lay centred at 2.30 am on October 28 over the same region about 230 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (and) 310 km south-southeast of Kakinada," said the Met Department in a release.
The Odisha government has put all 30 districts on alert as a depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression and is moving towards the east coast. The IMD forecasts very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Odisha on October 28 and 29.
The Met Department has predicted light to moderate rainfall across parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha with the probability of the severe cyclonic storm 'Asani' recurving.
'We should expect extreme heat, extreme rains, floods, landslides and maybe cyclones. Not just this year, in the coming year as well.'
The IMD has warned of squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph likely to commence along and off Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh coasts from October 27 onwards.
The IMD had said the Southwest Monsoon would hit parts of north India including Delhi on July 10, but it had not occurred till Sunday evening.
Notwithstanding opposition from within Congress and outside, the Union Cabinet on Friday cleared the Telangana Bill which will be introduced in Parliament on February 12.
Botsa Satyanrayana, a powerful Congress leader of the backward classes from north coastal Andhra went all out in attacking Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy at the cabinet meeting on Thursday evening in Hyderabad.
Rediff.com has in its possession the full Cabinet Note that was given to the members of the Cabinet ahead of the crucial meeting on Friday evening.
Threat of any further destruction by Laila in coastal Andhra Pradesh dissipated on Friday as the cyclonic storm gradually weakened into severe depression and then into depression over coastal Andhra Pradesh. According to the latest press release of Indian Meteorological Department, it lay centered about 100 km west of Kakinada.
Severe cyclonic storm Michaung crossed south Andhra Pradesh coast close to Bapatla district between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm on Tuesday with maximum gales of up to 90-100 km per hour speed, said an Amaravati Meteorological Centre official.
Heavy falls at isolated places are very likely over Kerala on April 29 and 30. The system will not make landfall in Tamil Nadu, but may bring light rain in some northern parts, it said.
Curfew has been imposed in Vizianagaram town with police given the orders to shoot at sight in the wake of large-scale violence by anti-bifurcation agitators, police said.
Centre ordered release of Rs 1,086 crore to four states as advance financial assistance for undertaking preventive and relief measures to deal with the cyclone.
The cyclone expected to weaken gradually over the next two days.
The stir by Kapu community members seeking reservation under Backward Class category turned violent today with agitators setting four coaches of Ratnachal Express on fire.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday announced an interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore each for Andhra Pradesh and Odisha for relief and rehabilitation in the wake of destruction caused by cyclone Phailin.
The entire coastal region of Odisha has been experiencing rainfall since Friday night.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall was expected over north Coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next 24 hours.
'It is very likely to move nearly northwards for next few hour and recurve slowly north-northeastwards along Narsapur, Yanam, Kakinada, Tuni and Visakhapatnam coasts during noon to evening on Wednesday and emerge into west central Bay of Bengal off North Andhra Pradesh coasts by night,' the India Meteorological Department said in its national bulletin.
The NDRF chief said initial reports suggested that due to the impact of the cyclone, buildings and some communication towers were destroyed.
Heavy rains triggered by northeast monsoon and a low pressure area over Bay of Bengal lashed several parts of Andhra Pradesh for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people from low-lying areas.
President Pranab Mukherjee has given his nod to the Telangana Bill, which is likely to be tabled in Parliament on Tuesday.
Coastal districts of Andhra have been put on alert and control rooms are being set up in Hyderabad and coastal districts to deal with the situation. Mohammed Siddique reports
The early onset of the southwest monsoon brought continuous rainfall across southern and eastern India, contributing to this record.
Earlier on Tuesday, Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena said that cyclone Asani is likely to reach Kakinada on the Andhra coast on Wednesday morning.
Defying shoot-at-sight orders and a curfew, anti-bifurcation agitators on Sunday hit the streets in Vizianagaram town and other parts of the district and clashed with police.
Cyclone 'Phailin', which was to make landfall two days from now, possibly near Gopalpur in Odisha and in north Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday intensified into a severe cyclonic storm travelling slightly northwest and lying about 800 km from Paradip in Odisha.
