Take-up rescue, relief measures on war-footing: CM

Hyderabad, Nov 23 : Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy announced the enhancement of Input subsidy to Rs 500 per damaged coconut tree.

The Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary Dr P K Mohanty and all the district collectors to make all efforts on war-footing for rescue, relief and restoration measures and to distribute assistance to the victims immediately. It may be recalled that during the “Phailin Cyclone” damages visit of the Chief Minister to Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts, the coconut farmers represented that as the Rs 150 input subsidy per tree was fixed in 1996 and input subsidy to paddy and other crops enhanced four to five times the input subsidy to damaged coconut trees should also be enhanced.

The Chief Minister reviewed the situation, status on damages due to Helen cyclone in the State, this afternoon at Camp Office, at a High-level meeting. The Chief Secretary, Commissioner Disaster Management C Parthasarathy and senior officials attended the meeting. Earlier in the morning, the Chief Minister spoke over phone with Ministers – Thota Narasimham, Vatti Vasantha Kumar, Pithani Satyannarayana and K Partha Sarathi, who are supervising the cyclone relief measures in East, West and Krishna districts and enquired about the damages. He asked them to see that assistance from the government reach the victims in time.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to restore the power supply and drinking water sources on priority and to arrange transportation of drinking water, wherever necessary. The Chief Minister will visit the cyclone affected areas very soon.

The Chief Secretary informed that all the departments in co-ordination have taken up the rescue, relief and restoration operations. All the fishermen stranded with their boats in the sea were rescued. One boat near Nizampatnam in Guntur district returned safely and three boats with 20 fishermen of Katravanikona, near Kothapalli light house of East Godavari dist have been rescued by Saturday evening.

Ten NDRF teams – three in Krishna, one in Guntur, four in East Godavari and two in West Godavari are in the field. Four Helicopters are ready at Hakimpet and two helicopters are being shifted one each to Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. Special Officers positioned in Krishna, Guntur, East, West Godavari, Nellore and Prakasam districts, the Chief Secretary added.

The Officials informed that so far 346 vulnerable areas in five districts have been identified. 21,283 persons evacuated and 93 Relief Camps are being organized. So far 6 deaths were reported – Krishna-2., East Godavari-2, Srikakulam-1 and West Godavari-1, and 381 houses were damaged. 1,58,998 ha Paddy and 210 ha horticulture crops affected and infrastructure damages were also reported. INN