Key Points

Chairing a high-level review meeting at the State Secretariat with the officials of Agriculture and Disaster Management on the incessant rains that lashed the state for two days, the Chief Minister asked the officials to assess the crop damage immediately and see to it that every farmer who suffered crop loss should get the ex gratia from the state government.

According to an official press release, CM Naidu also made it clear that the eight families of those who died due to lightning should also be paid the compensation immediately. The collectors of all the districts attended the review meeting virtually.

Taking the details from the officials on the loss of lives and crop damage caused due the heavy rains in the affected districts, the Chief Minister asked the district collectors and other officials in the districts to be cautious as rains are still forecast in some districts. He is very particular that steps should be taken to ensure that there is no loss of life.

CM Naidu felt that the officials should act with humanity when some disaster strikes the State and told the authorities that if cell phone messages do not reach the people when lightning strikes, they should personally visit the people and alert them. The staff members in the secretariats should also be alerted, he added.

Also, as per the laid down norms, necessary compensation should be paid to the owners of livestock that got killed by lightning, the Chief Minister said and asked the district collectors to maintain necessary coordination with the lower-level staff members depending on the situation.

The officials informed the Chief Minister that the standing crop of paddy and corn in an extent of 2,224 hectares got damaged due to the untimely rains and handed over the preliminary report to CM Chandrababu Naidu. The most affected districts are West Godavari, Nandyal, Kakinada and Satya Sai, the officials said.

About 15 mandals in West Godavari district are the worst-affected, causing huge damage to paddy crop in 1,033 hectares, while in Nandyal, paddy got damaged in 641 hectares, in Kakinada 530 hectares and in Satya Sai district, the standing paddy crop is damaged in 20 hectares, they told the Chief Minister. They also gave the details of horticulture crop damage to the Chief Minister.

The Special Secretary (Civil supplies), Saurabh Gaur, informed the Chief Minister that a target has been set to purchase 20 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in Rabi season of which 13 lakh metric tonnes has already been purchased. He also said that steps will be taken to purchase the grain that got damaged due to the rains.

CM Naidu, however, made it amply clear that at any cost, the grain from the farmers should be purchased. He said he will talk to the Centre and take necessary measures to purchase the grain if the stocks are surplus than expected. "There should be no complaint from any farmer that the grain has not been purchased from them," he said.

The bureaucrats and the official machinery should function on humanitarian grounds during disasters, the Chief Minister said and stated that they not only should take up relief measures when disasters strike the State, but also should take measures to prevent any damage being caused. On this occasion, the Chief Minister recalled the effective measures taken to prevent any loss of life or damage during the Hud Hud Cyclone.

"During disasters, this kind of preparation, much in advance, is absolutely necessary," the Chief Minister noted. In the coming days, timely weather warning alerts will be issued through Disaster Management with the help of the Aware section of RTGS, Chief Minister Naidu observed.

He told the district collectors to take all the necessary preventive measures to see to it that there is no loss of life. Maintaining that the State now has a very effective machinery and technology, the Chief Minister told the officials to make use of them efficiently. In areas where technology is not available, human help should be extended to prevent any kind of loss of life.

The more the official machinery is alert, the more effective damage prevention can be done, CM Chandrababu Naidu felt. The district collectors should hold teleconferences with their mandal-level officers to monitor the arrangements in their respective areas, he said. The Chief Minister congratulated the officials and staff members of the Electricity Department on their efforts in immediately restoring the power supply in their respective districts that were damaged due to these untimely rains.

- ANI