HYDERABAD: Stating that despite the record rainfall of 65 cm in a single day, the State government provided the required relief to the people, Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy told the State Legislative Council on Thursday that relief operations were ongoing and all steps are being taken to prevent the spread of disease in rain-affected areas.
Replying to a short debate in the Council, the Minister claimed that despite the unprecedented rainfall, the foresight of the government helped avert major losses. He also assured that the government would bail out the farmers who suffered crop losses due to rains/floods.
Prashanth Reddy said that 66 per cent excess rainfall was recorded in July this year and that parts of Jayashankar-Bhupalpally, Hanmakonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Mahabubabad, Mulugu, Jagtial, Nirmal, Nizamabad and Peddapalli districts received 50 per cent of the annual rainfall in a matter of just eight hours.
“Normally, 10 per cent to 15 per cent rainfall would be considered as cloudburst, whereas the rainfall recorded was highest-ever at 65 cm in a single day,” he said.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, all Ministers and officials constantly monitored the situation and averted major losses, Prashanth Reddy said. The Minister said that as many as 139 villages were affected by floods and 27,063 people were shifted from 7,870 houses to 157 shelters. He praised the excellent work done by officials of the Police, Revenue, Irrigation, Electricity, R and B and Panchayat Raj departments worked who provided help to the affected people on a war-footing basis.
No help from the Centre
Though the Centre did not release any funds, the State government spent its own funds and provided help to the rain-affected areas, Prashanth Reddy said.
Rs 500 crore released as interim relief: Vemula
“During the GHMC floods in 2020, the government provided Rs 10,000 to each family. Last year, it spent its own money to repair roads, bridges and others,” Prashanth Reddy reminded. The State government provided Rs 10,000 each per acre for farmers who lost crops in 2022. Now, the State government has released Rs 500 crore as immediate relief, he said. Stating that the Strategic Nala Development Programme, taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 985 crore in GHMC limits, Prashanth Reddy said that so far, 31 of a total of 55 SNDP works have been completed.