Tungabhadra floods a man-made mistake: Naidu

Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday termed the Tungabhadra floods a “man-made mistake” and called for an action against the officials and Ministers who ignored the warning from the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Talking to reporters, Mr. Naidu, who is camping here for the last three days going around the flood-ravaged areas, accused Ministers of being callous to the plight of the people.

Sanitation was the biggest challenge for the Municipal Department after the flood, as one lakh tonne garbage was heaped on the streets of Kurnool city.

The municipal staff were clueless as to where to begin. It was about time; the Municipal Minister arrived here and provided the required leadership.

Mr. Naidu, who extended his stay in the flood-hit areas by a day, said the loss was beyond human perception and it was the job of the planners to have foreseen the impeding danger and drawn up emergency plans. The entire population in the flood-hit areas was in a shock with loss of homes, household articles, foodgrains and livelihood.

‘No control’

Mr. Naidu accused Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K. Rosaiah of having no control over Ministers who had failed to visit the flood-hit areas and guide the officers who were not aware that the first thing to be done in the event of floods was to revive communication.

But, Kurnool city remained cut off from the State capital for five days due to failure to close a breach in the bridge across Tungabhadra.