SANGAREDDY: Heavy rains have left four more persons dead in the district on Saturday. However, what is more alarming is the fate of around 23 workers from Odisha who were left stranded on a high ground at Edupayala Temple. Efforts by the Indian Air Force choppers to rescue them went in vain due to rough weather.
Around 23 workers from Odisha were engaged for construction of a check dam at Edupayala. They lived in makeshift huts on Edupayala hillock.
However, with heavy rains in Manjeera catchment areas and neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra, heavy inflows reached the Singur Project. With the project reaching its full capacity, officials opened the gates leaving 1.40 lakh cusecs of water to Nizamsagar project. The water, flowing nearby the Edupayala Kanaka Durga Temple of Ghanpur ayacut, surrounded the temple stranding the workers since Friday late night.
District collector Ronald Rose and Medak MLA and deputy speaker M Padma rushed to the spot for rescue operations.
Rescue operations fail
Helicopters were called in from Hyderabad to rescue the stranded workers but the three choppers, which took off from Hyderabad twice, had to return from Toopran due to rough weather.
Officials are worried that if the flood water from Singur increases, the workers would be in trouble. Meanwhile, collector Ronald Rose said that the workers have food material sufficient for 10 days and added that they will be rescued on Sunday morning. He said to deal with any emergency situation on Saturday night, an NDRF team had been kept ready at Edupayala.
The collector said that about 1.40 lakh cusecs of water has been released to lower areas and added that projects under the lower areas have reached their full capacity. People from the Singur backwater villages have
been rehabilitated to safe places, he added.
The deceased have been identified as K Pradeep (29) from Siddipet, Bhasker (29) from Kondapak mandal headquarters, Pundlik Rao (40) from Nagur (B) village. They died in wall collapse. Another deceased Prashanth (12) from Aroor village in Sadasivpet mandal died in flood waters. Officials said one person is missing from Hothi (B) in Zahirabad mandal and another from Ananthsagar village in Narayankhed mandal.
Over 100 people relocated to relief camps in Nizamabad
The district administration has arranged relief camps in four villages — Hasgul, Sri Samundar, Pedda Tadkapalle and Kaligote and relocated over 100 people temporarily. Three people have died and several departments are facing loss due to rains across the district, collector Yogita Rana said during a press conference.
“Over 6,980 hectares of agricultural land, a total of 245 km of roads belonging to R&B and panchayat raj, 14 tanks and properties in 13 schools have been damaged. Moreover, three tanks were breached,” she said.
The collector announced that a 13-member-team has been deployed in Bodhan division as more rains are expected over the next few days.
Downpour stalls traffic on NH-65 in Sangareddy
The canal at Nandikandi village flooded the National Highway-65 causing traffic jam extending for 10 kms.
Later, the police diverted vehicles coming from Kandi of Sangareddy mandal and those going towards Sangareddy through Shankarpally via Momin pet - Sadasivpet.
The district received heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday. According to officials, an average rainfall of 10 cms was recorded in the district.