Arnab Cyclone Leaves Machilipatnam Waterlogged
He also asked municipal authorities to prevent waterlogging on roads and instructed health officials to remain alert.
Vijayawada:Heavy rain triggered by Cyclone Arnab inundated large parts of Machilipatnam, including the bus station, disrupting normal life and causing inconvenience to residents and commuters.
Excise minister Kollu Ravindra toured several cyclone-hit areas on Wednesday and assured residents of prompt steps to address their problems. He urged the people to remain indoors until the cyclone's impact subsided.
The minister held a teleconference with the district collector, revenue divisional officer, tahsildar, municipal commissioner and officials from the electricity, police and health departments in the morning. He directed them to expedite relief operations, shift residents of low-lying areas to safer locations and ensure that food and medicines were readily available at rehabilitation centres.
Ravindra inspected the rehabilitation centre near AJ College in Machilipatnam along with mayoral candidate Abdul Abida, party leaders and officials. He also visited the dumping yard, Sarada Nagar and other affected localities.
Food was distributed to the people staying at rehabilitation centres, while milk packets were supplied to those unable to leave their homes because of the heavy rain.
The minister cautioned residents against approaching fallen or waterlogged electricity poles and urged them to exercise caution while moving through roads inundated with rainwater. He asked municipal officials to ensure that drains remained free of blockages to facilitate the smooth flow of rainwater.
Later, Ravindra participated in a review meeting at the collectorate and asked officials to immediately remove uprooted trees from roads to restore traffic movement. He advised electricity officials to replace fallen poles promptly and restore power supply at the earliest.
He also asked municipal authorities to prevent waterlogging on roads and instructed health officials to remain alert. Sanitation drives should be launched in affected areas as soon as floodwaters receded, he said.
The minister also asked officials to prevent sewage from entering drinking water reservoirs and ensure that drinking water pipelines were not contaminated.
