Naidu to Visit Cyclone-Hit Areas on Friday; Damage Estimated at Rs 1,918 Crore

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday reviewed the damage caused by Cyclone Murasu and the relief and restoration measures and would visit affected areas on Friday.

Officials estimated the preliminary loss to the state at Rs 1,918.55 crore.

The cyclone claimed eight lives — five in Bapatla, two in Guntur and one in Palnadu. Eleven SDRF teams, 13 NDRF teams and 390 fire personnel took part in rescue and relief operations. The authorities sent around 5.87 crore advance warning messages to the public.

At a review meeting in Amaravati, Naidu sought details of the damage to agriculture, power supply, roads, municipal infrastructure and rural services. With two consecutive cyclones affecting the state, he directed officials to ensure that farmers and the public did not face hardship.

He asked them to prioritise power restoration, road repairs and uninterrupted drinking water supply.

Agricultural crops were damaged across 1,43,122 hectares, affecting 1,86,063 farmers. Horticultural crops were hit in over 6,749 hectares, impacting 12,586 farmers. Officials listed damage to 983 houses, 346 boats and 220 fishing nets. An accurate assessment of crop losses would take 48 to 72 hours after flood waters receded.

Power restoration work is under way. In the APCPDCL jurisdiction, 871 of the 1,103 affected 11 kV feeders had been restored, while work was pending on 232. Of the 3,946 damaged electricity poles, 1,493 had been restored.

The roads department reported damage to 760.10km of major district roads and state highways. Trees had been cleared at all 206 reported locations. The Panchayat Raj engineering department reported damage to 74 rural roads covering 204.14km, with restoration estimated to cost `92.08 crore.

Telecom services had been restored by 97.1 per cent, with 30,518 of the state's 31,428 towers operational by Thursday. Restoration work was pending at a few locations in Bapatla, Prakasam and West Godavari districts.

The panchayat raj department said 59 mandals and 649 gram panchayats were affected. All 336 identified drainage blockages had been cleared.

Officials also briefed Naidu on the water levels and releases. At Prakasam Barrage, inflow and outflow were being maintained at 43,500 cusecs, with 60 of its 70 gates open. The Budameru diversion channel was carrying 6,047 cusecs. Inflow into Tammileru had fallen from 26,000 to 10,200 cusecs, while the Nallamada drain recorded a flow of 30,259 cusecs.

The government released Rs 37 crore to districts for immediate relief. Officials said restoration of damaged power infrastructure, roads, drinking water systems and other essential services was progressing, with the aim of restoring normalcy in affected areas at the earliest.