The heavy rains that have been lashing the State for the last three weeks have claimed 81 lives, while standing crop and infrastructure worth Rs. 3,750 crore have been damaged, according to Home Minister N. Chinarajappa. Speaking to reporters at his camp office in Amalapuram on Thursday, Mr. Rajappa said the State government had requested the Centre to release a sum of Rs. 3,750 crore as instant help. He added that standing crops were completely damaged in an extent of five lakh acres, while roads in several places had been completely destroyed.
“The roads laid by village panchayats, zilla parishads and the Roads and Buildings Department have been washed away in several places. The infrastructure loss is high in Nellore and Chittoor districts, while crop damage is high in Godavari districts,” he observed. Maintaining that the State machinery had swung into action to rescue victims from Nellore and Chittoor, Mr. Rajappa said special teams from the NDRF had been pressed into service.