Home Minister N. Chinarajappa on Wednesday visited Madanapalle, which bore the brunt of heavy gales and winds on Tuesday night. The gales resulted in interruption of power supply to almost half of the town and uprooted trees, electric poles besides damaging power transformers.
Mr Chinarajappa took a whirlwind visit of various affected areas in Madanapalle including P&T Colony, Society Colony, Kuruva Vanka, and Government Hospital premises. Initial reports had put that as many as 150 power poles were damaged, resulting in power shutdown in several localities since Tuesday evening.
The Minister, who also holds the portfolio of State Disaster Management, instructed the officials to take up relief works on a war-footing. The officials told the Minister that power would be restored partially by evening and complete restoration would be done by Thursday.
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Referring to the severe damage of tomato and mango crops, Mr Chinarajappa said that the damage would be assessed and compensation would be paid to the farmers in three days.
After Madanapalle, the Minister visited Amara Narayanapuram village of Tamballapalle Assembly constituency, the extreme western end of Chittoor district, and launched distribution of feed and fodder to dairy farmers on subsidy. Addressing a local gathering, the Minister said that top priority would be given to drinking water, rural roads and power supply in the western mandals. “The Rs. 1,300 crore Pattiseema works would be completed in a year and water to Rayalaseema would be a reality,” he said. Collector Siddarth Jain and Heads of various departments accompanied the Minister.