HYDERABAD: Locusts are just 200 km away from the State border and if they travel southwards they may enter the State within a few days. The locusts are now concentrated at Ajani village in Ramtek in Maharashtra, which is 200 km from the State border.
As the locusts, which attacked crops in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, are near the State border, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday directed the officials to be on a state of high alert over the possible attack of locusts on crops.
During a review at Pragathi Bhavan, the Chief Minister said that the government would take steps on a war-footing to prevent the locust attacks in the State. Though the locusts entered the country three times in the past, they did not reach the State. The Chief Minister felt that if the locusts travelled towards south from Ajani village, theywould pose a danger to the State.
New swarm of locusts likely to enter India
Meanwhile, another swarm of locusts may enter the country between June 20 and July 5. By that time, Kharif crops would have been sown in the State. If the locusts attack the crops, then the entire Vanakalam (Kharif) standing crops in the State would be destroyed, the officials told the CM. Rao then directed the officials to take all the steps to ensure that the locusts would not enter the State.
As the locusts are likely to enter the State from Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh states, the officials sounded high alert in eight border districts. According to officials, the locusts are likely enter the State from Bhadrachalam, Charla, Venkatapur, Vajedu, Perur, Mangapet, Eturnagaram, Chennur, Vemanapalli, Koutala, Dharmabad, Bodhan, Jukkal, Banswada, Narayanakhed and Zaheerabad areas. CM directed Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mulugu, Mancherial, Adilabad, Nirmal, Asifabad, Nizamabad, Kamareddy and Sangareddy districts to regularly monitor the situation.
The CM constituted a team, under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, to oversee arrangements to prevent locusts from entering the State. Agriculture Principal Secretary B Janardhan Reddy and other officials are members of the team. The team would visit Adilabad in a day or two and hold meetings with the District Collectors concerned on the steps to be taken.