Officials Told To Relocate Households In Flood-Prone Areas In Telangana
Revenue minister directs flood-prone districts to prepare action plans by June 30; calls for proactive, tech-integrated disaster management.
Hyderabad: Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy directed revenue officials to prepare district-wise flood action plans by June 30 to prevent potential loss of life, property and infrastructure on account of heavy rain and floods during the monsoon. He asked officials to modernise the disaster management department and integrate it with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Banjara Hills to facilitate real-time alerts and faster response mechanisms during heavy rain and floods.
In view of predictions for above-normal rainfall this monsoon, Srinivas Reddy sounded a high alert, particularly for the flood-prone Godavari and Krishna river basins. Chairing a review meeting with district collectors at Secretariat on Thursday, the minister said that preparedness must precede emergency, with plans in place to prevent potential loss of life, property and infrastructure.
He cited the damage caused by sudden floods between July and September over the past years and urged officials to permanently relocate vulnerable families. Construction of Indiramma houses is being considered for resettlement, he said.
“The focus should not be on reacting to disasters, but on preventing them,” he said, calling for swift coordination among departments. A high-powered committee has been formed, comprising top officials from fire services, disaster management, ICCC, irrigation, roads and buildings and health departments. This committee will submit a detailed action plan on the lines of Hyderabad’s disaster management system within a week.
Revenue principal secretary Navin Mittal, disaster management commissioner S. Harish, fire services DG Y. Nagi Reddy, HYDRAA commissioner A.V. Ranganath, panchayat raj commissioner G. Srijana, southern discom head Musharraf Ali Faruqui, agriculture director B. Gopi, IMD Hyderabad director Dr K. Nagaratna and collectors from Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jogulamba Gadwal, Mulugu, Nirmal and Wanaparthy districts, were present in the meeting.