Arnab Cyclone Losses at Rs 4,600 Crore: Central Teams Visiting AP Today
He said central teams would visit AP on Friday to assess the cyclone damage.
Kakinada:Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said a preliminary estimate has put the losses caused by Cyclone Arnab at Rs 4,600 crore in Andhra Pradesh but the figure could increase after a detailed assessment.
He said central teams would visit AP on Friday to assess the cyclone damage.
Naidu made an aerial survey of the cyclone-affected areas of the Ambedkar Konaseema district on Thursday, inspected the relief centres at Gachakayalapora village in Mummidivaram constituency and interacted with cyclone victims. He told the media that cyclone relief and restoration measures were being undertaken by the government and that he spoke to home minister Amit Shah about the damage caused by the cyclone in AP and submitted a preliminary damage report to the Centre.
Naidu said he visited the affected areas to know the actual position. He announced a compensation of Rs 1,500 for each damaged coconut tree and each damaged oil-palm tree. Families returning from relief camps would be given 25 kilos of rice, a packet of essential commodities and financial assistance for their immediate expenses.
He said crop insurance has already been provided to farmers and they would receive compensation if their yields declined due to the cyclone. After assessing the damage, compensation for agricultural and horticultural crops would be credited to the beneficiaries’ accounts at the earlier.
Naidu noted that AP has faced several cyclones in the past. Some 30 years ago, on November 6, cyclone Hurricane devastated the Konaseema region; thereafter, Hudhud, Titli, Montha and Arnab have caused damage to the state. Around 70 years ago, the Divi Seema cyclone claimed thousands of lives.
“Taking lessons from the past disasters, the government implemented precautionary measures and reduced the loss of life. Despite all precautions, seven people lost their lives which is deeply distressing. The government kept the machinery on high alert and maintained continuous communication with district collectors, SPs and other officials,” he said.
The CM said the Konaseema and West Godavari Districts were among the worst-affected. Fallen trees have been cleared to restore road access.
He said telecommunications services have been restored and around 8,000 electricity poles fell in Konaseema district alone. All damaged poles would be replaced and power supply restored as quickly as possible.
AP, he said, has requested the Telangana government to send 1,000 electricity personnel to assist in the restoration works. If necessary, teams would also be mobilised from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
He said use of technology helped prevent breaches in irrigation tanks. Official machinery was deployed promptly in vulnerable locations to remove trees before they could cause further disruption.
Naidu instructed the district collectors to restore damaged huts, sanction pucca houses and start the registration process. He appreciated the government machinery for its response during the natural disaster, and noted that 30,000 personnel were mobilised for the purpose.
