TIRUPATI: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday instructed officials to hand over compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of eight persons — six in Chittoor and two in Kadapa — who died during heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Nivar.
Jagan, who left for Tirupati on Saturday morning, undertook an aerial survey of the Nivar-affected areas in Kadapa, Chittoor and Nellore districts, and later held a review meeting with officials. The Chief Minister directed officials to make sure that the power is restored as early as possible, crop loss enumeration is done on a war-footing, and compensation is paid by December-end.
The CM said people, including children, in the relief camps should be given Rs 500 each while returning home. He instructed the officials to give seeds on 80 per cent subsidy to the farmers in the affected areas. The CM told the officials to complete the temporary restoration works of Pincha and Annamayya projects immediately. Jagan instructed the officials to repair roads and ponds, and irrigation projects damaged due to the heavy rainfall.
He asked the Kadapa collector to take immediate steps to complete the pending works of the Buggavanka project in Kadapa city. Explaining the situation in the district to Jagan, Chittoor collector Dr Narayana Bharath Gupta said around 245 habitations in 21 mandals were affected due to the cyclone. Agriculture crops in 9,658 hectares and horticulture crops in 1,729.52 hectares were damaged in Chittoor district.
He said 8,129 goats, sheep and poultry birds were killed in the floods and 245 kutcha houses were damaged. “As many as 4,012 people have been offered shelter in relief centres. Roads to the extent of 543.8 kilometers were damaged due to rainfall,” Gupta said.
Kadapa collector C Hari Kiran explained the damages in his district to the Chief Minister. “Minor irrigation projects in the district are filled to their brim. The capacity of minor irrigation projects is around 0.327 tmc and the water storage level in the projects has been the same in the last 24 hours. Nearly 825 villages in 50 mandals were affected during the cyclone. Agriculture crops in 72,755 hectares and horticulture crops in 3240.58 were damaged.
As many as 757 houses partially damaged and 12,741 persons were shifted to relief camps. R&B roads to the extent of 192.6 kilometers and 1,234 km Panchayat Raj roads were damaged in the flooding,” Hari Kiran said. Nellore collector KVN Chakradhar Babu said the officials have assessed a loss of Rs 225 crore in the district. While crop loss is estimated at Rs 7.80 crore, and other damages are estimated at Rs 217.40 crore.
Two washed away
Two persons washed away near Chinna Pawani village in Lingasamudram Mandal limits of Prakasam district. The auto in which they were travelling was washed away in the floodwater of a local stream.
In Chittoor, police and an SDRF team rescued a 60-year-old man who was stranded in Neeva river in Gangadhara Nellore mandal on Saturday. According to DSP Sudhakar Reddy, Abbulaiah from Kotrakona village had gone near the river to get fodder on Saturday morning. Due to flooding from the NTR reservoir, the 60-year-old man got stranded in the floodwater. DSP Sudhakar Reddy deployed a rescue team.
Chief Minister’s directions
Chittoor
Kadapa
Nellore