Chief Minister Revanth Reddy ordered all district collectors to initiate urgent relief measures in the cyclone-hit areas. He ordered them to ensure that no loss of life occurs and also to safeguard the livestock. People living in flood-prone areas, submerged villages, and colonies have to be shifted to safe shelters immediately. Rehabilitation centers should be established wherever needed, with essential assistance given, stressed the Chief Minister.
At a video conference on Thursday with district collectors and senior officials, the situation was reviewed by the Chief Minister. Ministers and collectors briefed him that heavy rains caused widespread damage to paddy and cotton crops. Worst-affected areas included the combined Warangal and Nalgonda districts and the Husnabad constituency.
The Chief Minister said paddy harvesting has begun throughout the state. The government targeted the purchase of 80 lakh tonnes of paddy this season. He instructed the Civil Supplies Department to ensure smooth and efficient procurement. Heavy rains have soaked paddy in many places, and farmers are worried, seeing stocks getting damaged at IKP centers.
Officials were instructed to transfer the procured paddy from fields and IKP centres to the nearest godowns and mills without delay. In case such facilities are not available, paddy should be temporarily stored in function halls. Procurement activities must be continuously monitored. Each centre must have an incharge officer; any negligent official should be immediately replaced.
Reports from all IKP centers are to be collected every evening. Cases will be booked on officials who fail to send those reports. To ensure full availability, all leaves to the field officers and staff were cancelled. The Chief Minister ordered sufficient tarpaulins to protect paddy from rain. If any policy decision is needed, it shall be reported immediately to the Commissioner, Civil Supplies and the Chief Secretary.
After floodwaters recede, officials of the agriculture and revenue departments must jointly survey affected areas and estimate crop losses.
The district in-charge ministers are asked to review the relief operations, road repair works, and grain procurement from time to time. They are instructed to stay at the field level in their respective districts and report the activities being undertaken. The alertness and preparedness of local authorities become vital during any disaster, the Chief Minister averred.
The Meteorological Department has warned that 16 districts may be affected by the cyclone. Officials must be vigilant about possible power outages caused by heavy winds and restore power supply without delay.
A DCM van along with its driver was washed away in Khammam district, which the Chief Minister termed an unfortunate incident. He ordered the officials to erect danger warning boards near flooded bridges, low-lying roads, and culverts to prevent such accidents. Police should enforce restrictions to stop entry of vehicles into flooded areas. Barricades must be placed and traffic diverted from damaged roads.
The public should be advised to avoid all unnecessary travel during heavy rains. The Health Department has to be vigilant and ensure that emergency medical services will be available in all the affected districts.
Given the severity of the cyclone experienced in Warangal, the Chief Minister asked the officials to mobilize Hydra teams and equipment from Hyderabad, if needed, with police assistance. Boats should be immediately sent to the area to take up rescue and relief works. SDRF personnel from other districts must be mobilized to Warangal immediately.
Nine relief camps have already been established. About two thousand people stranded in flooded zones must be rescued and shifted to safe areas. Packets containing food and drinking water should be delivered through drones to people trapped on rooftops.
A toll-free help desk should be established at the Warangal Collectorate for 24-hour monitoring. Another help line needs to function from the state's Command Control Centre to respond quickly in emergencies such as heavy rain, flood, and disaster. Chief Minister to Conduct Aerial Survey Chief Minister Revanth Reddy would undertake an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Warangal and Husnabad on Friday morning. The survey was initially slated for Thursday but was postponed owing to inclement weather conditions not suitable for helicopter travel. The Chief Minister announced this during the video conference.
