Central Teams To Visit AP on Friday To Assess the Cyclone damage:AP CM

 Gachakayalapora ( Konaseema District): Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today made an aerial survey in cyclone-affected areas of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, inspected the relief centres at Gachakayalapora village in Mummidivaram constituency and interacted with cyclone victims to know their problems.

Later addressing media persons at Gachakayalapora village explained Cyclone Arnab relief and restoration measures being undertaken by the government. He announced that central teams would visit the State on Friday to assess the cyclone damage.The Chief Minister said the preliminary estimate put the losses caused by the cyclone at Rs 4,600 crore and added that the figure could increase after a detailed assessment.

The Chief Minister said that he spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab in Andhra Pradesh and explained the situation in the State and the measures taken by the government and submitted a preliminary damage report to the Centre. He said that he visited the affected areas personally to know the actual position. He said Compensation of ₹1,500 will be provided for each damaged coconut tree and each damaged oil palm tree. Families returning from relief camps will be given 25 kg of rice, a packet of essential commodities and financial assistance for their immediate expenses.Crop insurance has already been provided to farmers. They will receive compensation if their yields decline due to the cyclone.After assessing the damage, compensation for agricultural and horticultural crops will be credited to the beneficiaries' accounts at the earliest, he added.

The Chief Minister said Andhra Pradesh has faced several cyclones in the past. Thirty years ago, on November 6, a severe cyclone Hurricane devastated this region. Hudhud, Titli, Montha and Arnab have also caused damage to the State.Around 70 years ago, the Diviseema cyclone claimed thousands of lives. Taking lessons from past disasters, we implemented precautionary measures and significantly reduced the loss of life.Despite all precautions, seven people unfortunately lost their lives, which is deeply distressing.We kept the government machinery on high alert and maintained continuous communication with district collectors, Superintendents of Police and other officials.Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema and West Godavari districts were among the worst affected. Fallen trees have been cleared since the previous night to restore road access.We monitored the situation from Srikakulam to Krishna district and coordinated relief operations through the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) , the Chief Minister added.

Some people have ridiculed the government for taking extensive precautions, while others have made political remarks about the relief measures. I have told officials not to be distracted by such criticism while working for the welfare and safety of the public.We are working to minimise inconvenience to people and restore telecommunications services.Around 8,000 electricity poles have fallen in Konaseema district alone. All damaged poles will be replaced and power supply restored as quickly as possible.We have requested the Telangana government to send 1,000 electricity personnel to assist with restoration work. If necessary, teams will also be mobilised from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The Chief Minister said Technology was used to prevent breaches in irrigation tanks. Machinery was deployed promptly in vulnerable locations to remove trees before they could cause further disruption.

When the Chief Minister visited cyclone-affected areas in Konaseema district and interacted with the victims and enquired about their difficulties several women informed the Chief Minister that the huts in which they lived had collapsed due to the cyclone.The Chief Minister directed the District Collector to take steps to restore the damaged huts. He also asked officials to examine, as per the applicable rules, the possibility of granting house-site pattas to poor families living on government land.Several fishermen brought to his notice the difficulties they faced because their boats had not been registered. The Chief Minister instructed the Collector to take the necessary steps to facilitate boat registration.He appreciated the government machinery for its response during the natural disaster and assured the people that local problems would also be resolved as quickly as possible. Speaking to cyclone victims, the Chief Minister said that officials worked day and night to ensure that people faced minimum inconvenience.Around 30,000 officials were mobilised, and several precautionary measures were implemented to minimise loss of life and property. He said large number of electricity poles were damaged. In Konaseema district alone 8,000 electric poles were damaged.The Telangana government is sending electricity personnel to help restore power supply.

The Chief Minister said some farmers recalled his visit during the devastating Hurricane cyclone in the past, when he landed a helicopter directly on a road in the affected area.At that time, officials said it would be difficult to land a helicopter on the road. However, determined to meet the affected people, he told them that he would take responsibility and ensured that the helicopter landed there. He said that he stayed in Rajamahendravaram for a week during the Hurricane cyclone and returned to Hyderabad only after normal conditions were restored. My objective is to ensure that governance reaches every person and that no one is left to suffer without assistance, he added.The Chief Minister reiterated that the government would continue relief, damage assessment and restoration operations on priority basis paying more attention to affected farmers, fishermen and vulnerable families.