TS minister fires bias salvo at Centre over flood assistance

Hyderabad: Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy on Friday alleged discrimination by the Centre on flood assistance to the State. ‘The Central team visits the State, takes details, but gives nothing’.

Replying to a short discussion on ‘consequences of excessive rainfall in the State and measures being taken by the government’ in the Assembly, he said ‘every time there are floods, the Central team visits, enumerates the damage, but gives nothing’.

Stating that a Union minister from the State has asked the government to utilise the Rs 800 crore SDRF funds, he pointed out that there are many conditions to draw money. As per rules, the financial assistance to each beneficiary should be not be more than Rs 1,800-Rs 3,800, but Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao gave Rs 10,000 during floods in Hyderabad, he minister said. Though there was no support from the Centre, the CM provided this money to the flood-affected people in the city.

Reddy recalled that in the September 2016 floods, the State requested Rs 3,851 crore as assistance. but the Centre did not give a single rupee. He said there are funds with NDRF, which has no condition, but the State government cannot draw money from this, the minister said, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave funds to Gujarat in advance but ‘zero’ to the State.

Reddy alleged that both the BJP and the Congress don’t think of welfare of people; they are involved only in ‘mud politics’. He said there was a record rainfall in the State of 46 cm within six hours. About 27,000 people were shifted to 157 rehabilitation centres; 44 died in the floods. He commended the Revenue and police officials for their services during the flood relief work.