VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has sought immediate financial assistance from the Centre to help Andhra Pradesh recover from the damage caused by successive cyclones Arnab and Murasu.
In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Chief Minister detailed the extensive crop and property losses, the hardships faced by people and the relief measures undertaken by the State government. He urged the Centre to extend financial assistance to restore normalcy in the affected areas at the earliest.
Amit Shah spoke to Naidu twice on Tuesday to enquire about the impact of Cyclone Murasu, the extent of damage and the relief operations. The Chief Minister explained that the situation had become more challenging as Murasu struck before the State could fully recover from Cyclone Arnab.
Cyclone Murasu caused losses estimated at Rs 343.95 crore across eight departments, with agriculture accounting for nearly 94% of the damage.
Crops were damaged across 50,473 hectares in 465 villages spread over seven districts, affecting 69,828 farmers. Paddy accounted for 45,900 hectares of the affected area, with preliminary agricultural losses estimated at Rs 324.22 crore.
Naidu thanked the Union Home Minister for deputing a Central team to assess the cyclone damage.