VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the government had significantly minimised loss of life and property during Cyclone Arnab through advance planning, continuous monitoring and swift mobilisation of the administrative machinery.
Addressing the media at the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) centre in the Secretariat on Wednesday, Naidu said the government had conducted seven review meetings over three days and closely monitored the cyclone’s movement using India Meteorological Department inputs and satellite imagery.
Officials had been instructed to remain on the ground until normalcy was restored in the affected areas.
The Chief Minister announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of five people who died in cyclone-related incidents-two in Visakhapatnam and one each in Anakapalli, Konaseema and Bhimavaram.
The government would provide immediate financial assistance to eligible victims for losses other than crop damage, with a decision expected at Thursday’s virtual Cabinet meeting, he said. Families whose houses had been inundated would receive 25 kg of rice. Handloom workers and fishermen would be provided 50 kg of rice, along with one kilogram each of onions, cooking oil and red gram. Those staying in relief camps would receive Rs 1,000 each.
For crop losses, the government proposed assistance of Rs 35,000 per hectare for banana and Rs 25,000 per hectare for tomato. Assistance of Rs 25,000 per hectare is also being considered for cotton, sugarcane and certain other crops. Officials would assess agricultural and horticultural losses through field-level enumeration.
He said preliminary estimates of the damage would be submitted to the Centre on Thursday. He had already written to the Union government and spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the cyclone’s intensity and its impact on the State.
Naidu said around 15,000 electric poles had been uprooted across Andhra Pradesh. Power supply had been restored in most districts, while complete restoration in the affected pockets of Konaseema and West Godavari was expected by Thursday evening.
The Chief Minister said wind speeds had reached 150 kmph during landfall, while the cyclone had remained near the State’s coast for nearly 10 hours. Around 30,000 field-level officials and personnel had been coordinated through teleconferences.
Rainfall had reduced the State’s average rainfall deficit from 39% to 27%. Visakhapatnam recorded 21 cm, Vizianagaram 18 cm, Srikakulam 14 cm and Krishna district 9 cm of rainfall. Advance measures, including clearing canal obstructions, had prevented breaches in irrigation tanks across the State, he said.