HYDERABAD: Expressing his ire over officials not being alert during rains, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday warned that negligence and human errors leading to public inconvenience would not be tolerated.
“During a review meeting on June 1, I had given certain instructions on rains. But officials have not performed their duties properly on June 9 when the city witnessed heavy rains. There was a lack of coordination between municipal and police officials in the CURE area,” he said.
During a review meeting on monsoon preparedness, he instructed departments concerned to use data on waterlogging points, traffic bottlenecks and accident-prone locations to formulate effective response strategies during heavy rainfall events.
He directed the Electricity department to remain fully prepared for monsoon-related contingencies and warned that stringent action would be taken against officials who fail to remain in the field during emergencies.
On traffic management, he said that officers at all levels of the Traffic department must remain on the roads during heavy rains. He stated that he would personally visit affected areas if necessary and warned that severe action would be taken if traffic congestion caused by rainfall is not addressed promptly.
The chief minister also instructed authorities to immediately fill vacancies in the Traffic department to strengthen its operational capacity during the monsoon season.
Precautionary measures at all irrigation projects
Meanwhile, Revanth directed officials to take robust precautionary measures at all irrigation projects in view of the ongoing monsoon season and ensure strict adherence to project maintenance protocols. He also instructed engineers to implement project maintenance strictly in accordance with the prescribed maintenance manuals.
The chief minister emphasised that chief engineers (CEs) and superintending engineers (SEs) should remain stationed at project sites throughout the rainy season and warned that strict action would be taken against officials who leave project locations without prior approval from senior authorities.
He also ordered immediate release of funds for project maintenance works and repair of project gates to ensure safety and smooth functioning of irrigation infrastructure during heavy rains. He stressed the need for close coordination among officials of the Irrigation department, Metro Water Board and Rural Water Supply department to effectively manage rain-related challenges.
Addressing the issue of fertiliser distribution, he directed officials to utilise Rythu Vedikas for distribution of urea. The responsibility for managing urea distribution at these centres should be entrusted to local agriculture officers, with revenue department staff actively participating in the process, he added.