CM KCR leaves by road to inspect flood-affected areas

Mulugu: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's aerial survey of flood-affected areas in erstwhile Warangal and Khammam districts was called off due to inclement weather on Monday.

Instead, the Chief Minister left by road to inspect the flood-affected areas in Mulugu district on Sunday. As a part of his visit, he will first visit the Pushkar Ghat at Ramannagudem in Eturunagaram to know the flood flow in the River Godavari, and later meet the flood victims.

He will also conduct a review meeting with the District Collector S Krishna Aditya, ITDA, PO, Ankit, and other officials along with the people's representatives including Ministers T Harish Rao, E Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathod, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and DGP Mahender Reddy on the damage caused by the rains and floods in the district at the ITDA office at Eturnagaram.

Later, he is likely to visit Bhadrachalam to oversee the flood relief activities and assess the flood situation in the temple town as the River Godavari was receiving heavy inflows.

Minister Satyavathi Rathod, Mulugu ZP chairman Kusuma Jagadish along with the officials inspected the arrangements and flood relief activities at Ramannagudem ahead of the Chief Minister's tour.

Earlier, stressing the need for the permanent protection of people living along the banks of the Godavari in Telangana, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has directed officials to chalk out an action plan. He addressed a review meeting with Ministers T Harish Rao, Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathod, Government Chief Whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar and others on the flood situation and damage caused by the recent rains in erstwhile Warangal district, at the residence of senior TRS leader and former MP V Lakshmikantha Rao here on Saturday evening.

The Chief Minister directed Harish to take immediate steps to release Rs 1 crore each to the Collectors of flood-ravaged Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Nirmal districts for emergency use. He enquired with the officials about the flood flow in the Godavari and contour levels of the river and its tributaries.

Irrigation Department officials were asked the number of times the river had recorded lakhs of cusecs of flood flow in the past. He also sought to know the strength of the embankments/protection walls on its banks from Kaleshwaram to Bhadrachalam via Eturnagaram and Mangapet.

Chandrashekhar Rao said the flood capacity of the Kaddam project was only 2.95 lakh cusecs, but the project had received five lakh cusecs which was unprecedented in history. Considering this rare occurrence, he said there is a need to carry out a comprehensive survey and shift the people living in low-lying areas to safer places. He advised officials concerned to take suggestions of retired and expert engineers, who have worked in the Irrigation Department.

The Chief Minister directed the District Collectors to provide all sorts of relief to the people suffering from inundation in low-lying areas. Referring to the possibility of a spike in seasonal diseases in flood-affected areas, he directed Harisha Rao to take steps to set up medical camps on a war-footing. He also asked the Collectors to be alert as the flood flow in Godavari is likely to continue for a few days. He said a high-level review would be held with officials in Eturnagaram after conducting an aerial survey along the Godavari catchment areas in erstwhile Warangal and Khammam districts on Sunday.

MPs Pasunuri Dayakar and Joginipally Santosh Kumar, MLCs Kadiam Srihari, S Madhusudanachari, Baswaraj Saraiah, Takkalapally Ravinder Rao, Banda Prakash, Pochampally Srinivasa Reddy and Padi Kaushik Reddy, MLAs Redya Naik, Nannapuneni Narender, Aruri Ramesh, Voditela Satish Babu, Dr T Rajaiah, Bantoh Shankar Naik, Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, Gandra Venkataramana Reddy and Muthireddy Yadagiri Reddy, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, DGP M Mahender Reddy, CMO Secretary Smita Sabharwal and others attended the review meeting.