The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Rajya Sabha member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy has urged the Central government to provide financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh for the loss caused due to heavy rains and floods.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha during the zero hour on Tuesday, Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy said that the Union government was requested to provide a minimum relief package of ₹1,000 crore to the State.
The MP said that heavy rains triggered by a depression over the Bay of Bengal on November 18 led to flash floods and wreaked havoc in Rayalaseema and South Coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. The unprecedented rains and floods caused breaches to reservoirs thereby inundating villages and towns. Roads, bridges and railway tracks were extensively damaged. Electricity utilities had been uprooted. Houses were either washed away or inundated in floodwaters rendering thousands of people homeless. So far, 44 people died, 16 were reported missing and about 70,000 persons had been displaced from their homes, he said.
Farmers suffered heavy losses since the crops that were ready for harvest were destroyed. It was estimated that about 1.85 lakh hectares of agriculture and horticulture crops had been damaged. According to preliminary estimates, the loss caused to the crops and infrastructure had been put at ₹6,054 crore.
Despite the sincere efforts of the Andhra Pradesh government in conducting rescue operations and undertaking relief measures in the affected areas, the current situation on the ground needed Centre’s assistance. “In this hour of crisis, it is imperative that the Union Government step in to provide much-needed assistance to see that the State rises up again,” he said.
