Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Peddireddi Ramachandra Reddy has taken exception to the comments made by TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on the government handling the flood situation.
“The flood in Kadapa was not a man-made disaster, but a result of unexpected inflows into the Annamayya project in a short span of time. The project had filled up beyond its capacity,” the Minister said on Wednesday.
He said Mr. Naidu had offered a compensation of ₹1 crore for the deceased after becoming the Chief Minister. “However, the wish of Mr. Naidu of becoming the Chief Minister again will remain unfulfilled for ever,” he said.
The Minister said that Rajampet MP and his son P.V. Midhun Reddy had donated ₹50 lakh from his personal funds and the government had mobilised ₹2 crore from the CSR funds of the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC), which would be used for restoration of roads and other repair works.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Ramachandra Reddy conducted a review meeting on flood situation. He asked the officials to take measures to clear the water-logged roads and restore the damaged ones.
“The official machinery is ready to meet the spell of showers forecast for the region. Enumeration of land is still pending in some areas due to loss of connectivity. Once the water recedes, the process will be completed and compensation will be paid to the victims,” he said.
Chittoor Collector M. Hari Narayanan explained through a presentation that 63 of the 66 mandals had recorded over 100 mm rainfall. The first and second phases witnessed 113 mm and 188.9mm respectively, causing six deaths, damaging over 1,330 houses. As many as 32,310 persons have been rehabilitated in 132 camps, he said.
Deputy Chief Minister K. Narayanaswamy, Zilla Parishad chairperson Govindappa Srinivasulu, MP (Tirupati) M. Gurumoorthy, legislators of the affected constituencies B. Karunakar Reddy (Tirupati), B. Madhusudhan Reddy (Srikalahasti), K. Adimoolam (Satyavedu) took part imn the review meeting.