Telangana News | CS briefs central team on rain damage, seeks liberal guidelines for relief
Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari briefed a visiting central team, led by Col K P Singh, on the extensive damage caused across the state due to the unprecedented rainfall between August 31 and September 3.
Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari briefed a visiting central team, led by Col K P Singh, on the extensive damage caused across the state due to the unprecedented rainfall between August 31 and September 3.
The six-member central team held discussions with the Chief Secretary and senior state government officials at the Secretariat on Wednesday, an official statement said.
The Chief Secretary informed the team that despite receiving the weather alert at short notice, the state administration acted swiftly, resulting in a lower loss of human life.
She emphasised that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy regularly reviewed the situation, and the Deputy Chief Minister, along with two other ministers, personally travelled to Khammam despite heavy rains to oversee relief and rescue operations.
The state government promptly released funds to district administrations to carry out relief efforts.
Santhi Kumari urged the central team to consider making the relief guidelines more flexible, enabling the state government to provide broader assistance. She also mentioned the Chief Minister’s directive to form specialized teams, similar to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), to participate in rescue operations during emergency situations in Telangana.
The Chief Secretary sought support from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for training and logistical backing for these specialized teams. She also raised concerns about the challenges posed by air rescue operations during heavy rains and requested the central government’s cooperation in addressing these difficulties.
The Chief Secretary highlighted the massive tree felling and ecological disaster that affected 332 hectares in the Eturnagaram region, an unprecedented event. The central team recommended conducting a detailed study to understand the root cause of this ecological disaster.
Special Chief Secretary for Disaster Management Arvind Kumar provided a comprehensive overview of the damage and the state government’s relief measures.
He reported that the initial estimate of damages stood at Rs 5,438 crore, though the final assessment is still underway. Senior officials from agriculture, roads and buildings, municipal administration, panchayat raj, energy, animal husbandry, and forest departments gave detailed presentations to the central team, outlining the damage caused by the rains.
Earlier, the central team viewed a photo exhibition showcasing the extensive damage. The team will tour the flood-affected districts of Khammam and Mahbubabad to interact with those affected by the floods and hold discussions with local administrations.
Special Chief Secretary for Finance K Ramakrishna Rao, Special Chief Secretary for Roads and Buildings Vikas Raj, Additional DG Mahesh Bhagwath, DG Fire Services Nagi Reddy, Principal Secretary for MAUD Danakishore, Principal Secretary for Animal Husbandry Sabyasachi Ghosh, Secretary for Housing Buddhaprakash Jyothi, Secretary for Agriculture Raghunandan Rao, CIPR Hanumantha Rao, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
