Vijayawada: Food supplies get better

Vijayawada: After two days of suffering the flood victims in Ajit Singh Nagar and dozens of colonies in Vijayawada got some respite on the third day Tuesday as food and drinking water supplies increased.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has given a strong warning to the officials to take care of food supplies and rescue and relief operations. He also appointed special officers to monitor the food supplies.

Navy and Army helicopters also increased their activities and dropped food and water packets on the apartments on the third day giving a big relief to the flood victims. Unfortunately, some people misused the food supplies provided by the government, NGOs and donors and sold them to the needy people on the outskirts of the city.

Flood victims living in areas like Rajiv Nagar, Kandrika, Vambay Colony, UDA colony, NSB Nagar, Santhi Nagar and other areas could not come to Ajit Singh Nagar Flyover point, which is the only distribution centres. The residents of these colonies could not food for the third day. Many young men were seen coming to the flyover bridge junction and grabbed big food boxes, packs of water bottles and vanished within minutes.

The biggest problem faced by the residents is there is no proper mechanism on food supplies near the flyover junction. Scores of trucks brought the food but only a small number of people grabbed them. The residents on the outskirts are asking the government to supply food on small boats and rescue teams like AP State Disaster Management or NDRF teams.

Private individuals, who have grabbed the food packets are reportedly selling them at at exorbitant prices to the poor people, who are living in the slums. The hapless poor have no mobile phones to ask the authorities and request for help because there is no power for three days.

Army and Navy helicopters are mainly focusing on the big buildings, apartments and other complexes where they can drop the packets easily without causing damage to the packets. The slumdwellers are asking the government to supply food on small boats, which can easily enter the narrow lanes.