ELURU: West Godavari joint collector M Venugopal Reddy on Monday pulled up officials of the revenue and other departments for their failure to reach out to the people in several flood-affected villages located in Polavaram submergence mandals. Following a report about the failure of the officials to supply flood relief material to some of the villages in Polavaram and Velerupadu mandals, Venugopal Reddy undertook a whirlwind tour of Tatikuragoma, Repakagumma and Chigurumamidi and enquired with the residents about the flood relief they got.
Some of the villagers told the joint collector that they received five kg rice as against the government orders to supply 20 kg to each affected family. Angered over this, he immediately summoned revenue, rural water supply, panchayat raj and other department officials and pulled them up for not responding to the situation promptly.
“When district-level officials like us are making all-out efforts to provide succour to the affected people, why are you not coming forward to work effectively?’’ he reportedly questioned the officials and warned of taking action those found lax in discharging their duty. Venugopal Reddy immediately summoned revenue and panchayat secretaries and RWS engineers from Buttaiahgudem, Jeelugumilli, Kovvur, Koyyalagudem and Chintalapudi mandals and deputed them to the flood-affected villages to take up relief work.
Similarly, the district administration asked the medical and health staff to provide assistance in the affected areas. Venugopal Reddy, who reached Velerupad by 8 am, remained in the mandal till evening and supervised the relief operations. Meanwhile, 29 villages in Velerupad mandal remained cut off from other villages for the eighth consecutive day even as the water levels receded in river Godavari. Similarly, nine villages in Polavaram mandal too were still cut off from outside world.
Power supply restored to villages
Reacting to the report ‘No power for five days in flood-hit Godavari villages,’ published in TNIE on Monday, AP Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited said that 19 villages in Polavaram mandal and 20 in Velerupad mandals were affected due to collapse of electric poles due to floods. “In spite of difficulties encountered in restoring electric poles, power supply was restored to 18 of 20 affected villages in Velerupadu mandal by Monday,’’ AVV Surya Pratap, superintending engineer (Operation), Eluru said. Power supply restoration works to the remaining two habitations -- Tallagandi and Tekupalli -- are in progress, he said. He clarified that power supply to 19 villages in Polavaram mandal was restored by August 3.