Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Administration gearing up for cyclone relief operations

TIRUPATI: With the four days of cyclonic storm showing signs of respite, the Chittoor district administration is getting ready for a full-fledged assessment of the damage caused to the standing crops, irrigation tanks, roads, houses and also to launch relief and rehabilitation operations.

As part of the exercise, district Minister R. Chenga Reddy was on Sunday closeted with Collector M. Ravichandra and heads of various departments for a review of the flood situation and to gear up the administration for an expeditious relief operation.

The meeting noted that the eastern mandals of the district faced the maximum fury of the thunderstorm suffering a huge crops losses besides damages to their irrigation tanks, roads etc. While groundnut sown on 4000 hectare was completely damaged due to water-logging, the damages suffered by paddy, sugarcane, vegetable crops, orchards etc were still being officially assessed. Instructions were given to ensure fresh supply of seeds to all needy farmers to help raise crops again.

Addressing mediapersons after the review meeting, Chenga Reddy said that the compensation to be paid to the affected farmers, weavers and house owners also was finalised and the amount will be disbursed to them in due course.

He said a relief package of Rs. 6000 and Rs. 5000 each would be extended to those who completely lost their houses and those whose houses were partially damaged. Similarly packages were finalised for the handloom weavers to compensate their loss of yarn, loom etc.

A compensation of Rs. 9000 per hectare would be paid to the mango orchards and Rs.12,000 per ha each to the banana orchards damaged in the cyclone.

The four days of non-stop rain also breached ten irrigation tanks and damaged roads belonging to R&B at 24 places needing immediate repairs for their restoration.

Among others who participated in the review meeting were Joint Collector Suresh Kumar, Tirupati RDO Venkateswarlu and Sathyavedu MLA Narayanaswamy.

MLAs of Puttur (G. Muddukrishnama Naidu), Srikalahasti (SCV Naidu) and Tirupati (M. Venkatramana) were conspicuously absent at Minister Chenga Reddy’s review meeting.

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