Telangana seeks early flood relief

​New Delhi: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Md Mahmood Ali and Finance Minister Eatala Rajender on Sunday met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and submitted a report on the flood damage in the state and urged him for adequate relief for the state at the earliest.

Stating that the state had suffered an estimated loss of Rs 2,202 crore and Hyderabad city alone Rs 1,157 crore due to the floods, the team comprising the two ministers and Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma, Special Representative S Venugopala Chari and Resident Commissioner Sashank Goel apprised the Union Home Minister of the situation arising out of the floods in the state.

In all, the crop damage was to the extent of 1.23 lakh hectares, besides the damage to 19,435 houses. Damage to the soya crop alone was to the tune of Rs 97 crore. Damage to R&B roads was pegged at Rs 463 crore and that of Panchayat Raj roads Rs 298 crore, the report said.

While 46 persons perished in the floods, 671 tanks got breached, including the Mid-Manair Dam. Speaking to the media later, they said the Singh had promised them to depute a Central team to the state for its own assessment at the earliest.

They said they had also explained to the Home Minister that the floods in Hyderabad were unprecedented in the recent times. It was only in 1908, Hyderabad had suffered massive flood damage in which at least 50,000 people reportedly perished as per one estimate. The biggest damage was to the city roads this time around, they said. The government would come to the rescue of farmers who had suffered extensive damage to their crops, they said.

Earlier, they took part in the 147th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi and offered floral tributes to the Father of the Nation. Speaking on the occasion, Rajender said Telangana was striving to work for the welfare of the downtrodden on Gandhian lines and establishing 'Swarajya' was its goal.

He listed the welfare measures being implemented by the government like the 6-kg rice scheme, old age and economically backward pension schemes and explained the goals of the Mission Bhagiratha to bring drinking water to each household.