Revanth to Conduct Aerial Survey in Warangal, Husnabad

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will undertake an aerial survey of flood-affected regions of Warangal and Husnabad districts on Friday to assess the damage wreaked by Cyclone Montha. He ordered the cancellation of leaves for field staff and directed them to remain available to the public.

Elsewhere, the government said that according to a preliminary assessment the rain had damaged crops spread over 4.47 lakh acres in 12 districts. Agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said paddy on 2.82 lakh acres and 1.51 lakh acres of cotton had been damaged. He placed the number of affected farmers at 2,53,033 across 179 mandals.

Nageswara Rao, speaking in Nalgonda district, said the government would extend ex gratia to those who lost their crops, livestock and houses. He announced an ex gratia of `10,000 per acre of damaged crop.

“Every farmer who has suffered due to Cyclone Montha will be assisted. The Chief Minister will personally tour the flood-hit districts to review the situation and announce relief measures,” he said. Officials had been directed to conduct a comprehensive enumeration to assess the full extent of losses.

During a video conference with collectors and senior officials of all districts on Thursday. Revanth Reddy directed the collectors and SPs of all districts to jointly establish a monitoring centre in every district to coordinate emergency and relief operations efficiently. He instructed officials to provide real-time updates on damaged roads to ensure smooth vehicular movement and to submit detailed reports to the government on the extent of damage to crops, infrastructure, and public property.

The Chief Minister ordered that relief operations be taken up on a war-footing and that there should be no loss of human lives or livestock. He instructed officials to evacuate people from flood-prone villages and colonies to safer locations and set up rehabilitation centres wherever required.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponnam Prabhakar, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Konda Surekha, and Vakati Srihari, along with Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy, and senior officials, participated in the meeting.

Officials informed the Chief Minister that paddy and cotton crops had suffered extensive damage in the erstwhile Warangal and Nalgonda districts and that the flood impact was severe in the Husnabad constituency.

The Chief Minister said the government aims to procure 80 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy this season. He directed the civil supplies department to take strict measures to ensure procurement without delay.

He expressed concern over reports that paddy stocks at IKP centres were soaked in the rain and instructed collectors to shift the grain to godowns or mills. Where such facilities are unavailable, function halls could be used for temporary storage. Each procurement centre should have an in-charge officer, and negligent officials must be replaced, he said.

He asked officials to ensure adequate tarpaulins to protect paddy from further damage and to report policy-level issues immediately to the Chief Secretary or the civil supplies commissioner.

Revanth Reddy instructed district in-charge ministers to monitor relief and procurement activities. He directed police and revenue authorities to barricade flooded bridges and low-lying roads to prevent accidents and to install warning boards in danger zones.

He asked officials to restore power supply swiftly in areas hit by strong winds, ensure the availability of emergency medical services, and deploy SDRF teams and boats for immediate rescue operations in Warangal. He ordered the setting up of toll-free helplines at district collectorates and a state-level control room at the Command Control Centre to coordinate relief and disaster response round the clock.

According to district-wise preliminary data, the highest crop damage occurred in the undivided Warangal district, where 1,30,200 acres were affected, followed by Khammam district (62,400 acres) and Nalgonda district (52,071 acres). Nageswara Rao other crops such as maize, red gram and vegetables also suffered localised damage.

The minister directed agriculture department officials and district administrations to coordinate with revenue and disaster management officials for quick assessment and submission of detailed reports on crop damage. He directed the officials to ensure that crop insurance and input subsidy schemes are implemented without delay so that farmers can recover from the losses at the earliest.