Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Panchayat Raj & Rural Development (PR&RD) and Environment and Forests K. Pawan Kalyan has attributed the unprecedented floods in Vijayawada city to the shrinking of the Budameru rivulet by 90% due to a large number of illegal constructions.
“This has to be dealt with due sense of urgency to prevent such disasters in the future,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said while addressing the media at the office of the Commissioner of PR&RD, at Tadepalli in Guntur district on September 4 (Wednesday).
The flood caused the death of 29 persons, and two others were missing. Thousands of animals perished due to the deluge, he added.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the encroachments had taken place over several years, and that the government would duly look into prevention, instead of groping in the dark after something happened.
Appeal to YSRCP
He suggested to the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders to take part in the relief measures instead of casting aspersions.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan insisted that the Annamayya dam breach was due to the YSRCP Government’s negligence, whereas the floods that brought great misery to Vijayawada city now were clearly because of record-breaking rain.
He praised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for stretching himself to the limit to mitigate the impact of the floods, while YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and his party leaders spread misinformation.
He said the government was doing its best to help the people with the support from the NDRF and the Navy, and much of the effort went into saving and providing succour to the people in Vijayawada city, which was shaken by the disaster.
About 386 Gram Panchayats (GPs) were affected by the floods, and priority was given to drinking water supply and sanitation in view of the likelihood of spread of diseases. The PR&RD Department received proposals for permanent works costing an estimated ₹97 crore as on September 4, he said.
Massive donation
Further, the Deputy Chief Minister said he was donating ₹1 lakh each to the 400 flood-hit Gram Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, in addition to ₹1 crore already announced on September 3, besides making a contribution of ₹1 crore to the flood relief works in Telangana.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he would ensure that the money was directly credited into the bank accounts of the panchayats and utilised for the stated purpose.
He said the YSRCP leaders, including its president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, whose wealth would overshadow that of film stars, should donate liberally for providing relief to the flood-affected people instead of misleading the people for the sake of politics.
Principal Secretary (PR&RD) Shashibhushan Kumar and Director M.V.R.K. Teja were present.
Published - September 04, 2024 08:59 pm IST
