With a slight respite in rains in some parts of the State on Sunday, water receded from 40,000 hectares of submerged crops and efforts are on to salvage the crops, said Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy here on Monday.
The Minister said agriculture scientists and officials were examining whether the crops in these areas could be revived with a fresh dose of fertilizers or whether seeds should be distributed for raising alternative crops. A decision would be taken soon.
There was improvement in power supply in villages affected by heavy rains. Of 884 villages which went without power for three days, supply was restored in 480 villages, he added.
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But the State was bracing for rains for another 48 hours as per the IMD forecast, specially in Telangana and Coastal areas. Speaking to media persons, Mr. Reddy said the State had recorded 29 per cent excess rainfall, although Anantapur and Visakhapatnam districts had received less than normal.
The flood level in Bhadrachalam came down from 55.8 feet to 50.6 feet. The death toll in the last 20 days stood at 12 and instructions were issued to release Rs.1.5 lakh ex gratia to the families of the deceased and another Rs.50,000 each would be released under Apathbandhu in 15 days.
YSR Congress has accused the State government of failing totally in providing relief to flood victims and demanded convening of an all-party meeting to discuss various measures to be taken up. While thousands were stranded, only 2,000 to 3,000 people were shifted to relief shelters.
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In a statement, party MLAs B. Shobha Nagi Reddy, Dharmana Krishna Prasad and M. Sucharitha urged the government to make immediate payment of arrears to farmers who suffered in Neelam and Jal cyclones in the past.