HYDERABAD: Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Wednesday said that the state government is strengthening its disaster management framework to minimise loss of life and property during disasters and natural calamities.
Addressing a meeting held at the Secretariat to review flood preparedness in the Godavari and Krishna river basin districts, the minister said that the recent restructuring of the Telangana State Disaster Management Authority (TGSDMA) was to enhance preparedness and coordination across departments.
The review meeting was attended by Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, Special Chief Secretary for Disaster Management Arvind Kumar, collectors from flood-prone districts and other senior officials.
Srinivasa Reddy stressed the importance of proactive planning in the face of increasing climate variability. “Sudden floods and extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent. We must integrate scientific analysis and real-time coordination with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to build a strong alert and response system from the state level down to the grassroots,” he said.
He emphasised that while natural disasters cannot be stopped, their impact can be mitigated through timely and coordinated action. He said that special attention must be given to identifying vulnerable villages in flood zones ahead of time.
Nodal officers for key departments
Stating that nodal officers will be appointed for key departments such as irrigation, electricity, health, agriculture, police and transport, the minister instructed the Irrigation department to provide early warnings about likely flood-affected areas based on rainfall, upstream releases, and reservoir data, including updates from neighbouring states.
He asserted that instead of repeatedly evacuating flood-hit residents, the government will identify displaced families in vulnerable zones and allocate permanent housing under the Indiramma Housing Scheme through a special quota.
Underscoring the need for enhanced emergency response, he recalled last year’s incident in his Palair constituency where the absence of an airlift mechanism hampered rescue operations. “We must be ready with a fully equipped airlift system to reach affected people trapped in streams, tanks, and low-lying areas,” he said, urging officials to study airlift protocols and improve disaster response logistics.
KCR known as ‘water man’, Revanth ‘vaata man’: Harish
Hyderabad: Refuting the allegations that the BRS government failed to construct irrigation projects, BRS MLA T Harish Rao on Wednesday said former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was known as the “water man” and present CM A Revanth Reddy as “vaata man” (man of commissions).
Speaking to reporters here, Harish said that Revanth became CM by a stroke of luck. Advising Revanth to serve his full term responsibly, perform well and fulfil the assurances made to the people, Harish asked the CM to render justice to Telangana in water-related matters and stop spreading falsehoods.
“It’s shameful on the part of CM to say that no projects were built and no water was provided by the BRS government,” he said. Harish said that they completed and provided irrigation through projects like Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Bhima, Koilsagar, Thummilla, Jurala canal modernisation and Mission Kakatiya. The BRS government also provided irrigation to 10 lakh acres in erstwhile Mahbubnagar district, he added.