Distribution of ration continues in flood-hit areas

Vijayawada: Rescue operations in the Budameru flood-hit areas in and around Vijayawada city were completed and relief works are going on with distribution of ration to the families.

Several hundred mobile dispensing units (vehicles) are distributing rice bags, cooking oil, onions and some fruits and vegetables.

The civil supplies department staff are visiting the flood affected areas in 32 divisions and distributing the essentials. The flood-affected people get ration on showing the Aadhaar card as proof. The civil supplies department has the Aadhaar data of these 32 municipal divisions and the staff are verifying the name, address and Aadhaar number.

People living in other areas cannot get the ration as per the norms prescribed by the government. The ration distributed free of cost is useful to many families in the difficult times as houses were submerged in floodwaters. The state government distributed food and drinking water bottles in large quantities to thousands of families, who were desperately waiting for the food during the floods.

But large quantities of rice was not consumed and packets were seen thrown on the streets and main roads. The cooking agencies too faced the difficult task of cooking rice for over 2.5 lakh people in a short span of time.

People living on the outskirts did not get food and drinking water for nearly four days as the floodwater stagnated on the roads. The worst-affected New RR Pet and RR Pet colonies are gradually recovering with halting of floodwater inflows.

Fishermen who participated in the rescue operations left the Ajith Singh Nagar area with their boats during the last two days. Fire engines, which play a key role in cleaning apartments and big buildings and hundreds of houses, also left for their respective districts after fire services staff rendered valuable services for a week.