Telangana CM seeks Rs 2,000 crore from Centre as immediate flood relief

Hyderabad, Sep 2 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday requested the Centre to provide Rs 2,000 crore as immediate assistance to the state towards flood relief. Stating that preliminary assessment shows that heavy rains and floods caused a loss of Rs 5,000 crore in the state, he said they were requesting the Centre to provide immediate assistance and said Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar should work to get the funds for the state. The Chief Minister visited flood-hit areas of Suryapet and Khammam districts. He left by road from Hyderabad and first stopped in Suryapet district to see the damages caused by rains and floods. After reaching Mote in the Suryapet district, he around an exhibition arranged by the officials on the damages caused by rains and floods. He reviewed the situation in the district at a meeting with top officials. Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and local MLAs attended the meeting. Revanth Reddy enquired about the damages to crops and other property in the district. He was apprised by officials of the damages caused due to the breach of the left canal of Nagarjuna Sagar. The Chief Minister mentioned that Suryapet district received the highest rainfall of 30 centimetres. Stating that officials were continuously available to people, he said the officials gave him a preliminary report on the crop and other damages. He said officials and public representatives were available at the field level. They took precautionary measures to prevent loss of lives and property. The Chief Minister said he explained the situation of Khammam and Nalgonda districts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and sought their support. He said Rs 10,000 compensation will be paid for crop loss on every acre of land. The Chief Minister slammed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders for criticising the state government over the handling of the flood situation and remarked that the politics of mudslinging should not be played during floods. Without naming BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao and BRS President and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, he remarked that one leader who is in the United States is tweeting from there while the other is in the farmhouse. Revanth Reddy said Rama Rao visited Delhi with 20 MLAs for bail but he did not console flood victims. He claimed that all ministers were visiting flood-affected areas. He said he was monitoring the situation without sleep. —