YSRCP seeks relief, rescue work on brisk pace

Hyderabad, Oct 24 (INN): YSR Congress has demanded the State Government to take up immediate relief and rehabilitation steps in the rain ravaged areas and said that the October 26 Samikhya Shankaravam would be held as scheduled.

'YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has been monitoring the situation on an hourly basis and has instructed the cadre to be part of the relief work in the low lying areas which are badly affected by the heavy rains due to depression in the Bay of Bengal,' party senior leader Konathala Ramakrisha told reporters here on Thursday.

Our Party President intends to visit the rain battered areas on October 27 and 28, if the court permits his tour and we hope the verdict will be in our favour. Otherwise, our Party Honorary President YS Vijayamma will undertake the tour on his behalf, he said.

According to preliminary reports, standing crops were damaged in an extent of over 10 lakh acres and ten persons died during three days of incessant rains and all reservoirs in the state are filled up to the brim and when the flood gates are opened rescue operations must be taken up in the needed measure.

Our Party President has asked the cadre to take active part in the relief operations and be in touch with official machinery, he said.

Roads and rivers have breached at several places and the party cadre would lend a helping hand in evacuating the people to safer places. As the weather forecast says that there would be rains for the next 24 hours, he said, government should be alert and provide necessary help to the people living in low-lying areas which are vulnerable in such situations.

Besides paddy, tobacco, turmeric, cotton, groundnut and other crops were damaged either in the fields, market yards or warehouses and adequate compensation should be paid, he said. The compensation for the Neelam cyclone did not reach to the affected people till now and in between there was another cyclone which played havoc in Srikakulam district.

The government should act fast in providing relief to the affected people, he said adding that tobacco and chilli crops were damaged in Warangal, while cotton crop in 75,000 acres was dampened in Prakasam district, tomato and other vegetables were damaged in Guntur in an extend of over 1 lakh acres while groundnut crop was washed away in many places in Ananthapur district and in Adoni market yard cotton bales were soaked. In YSR Kadapa district groundnut crop was damaged while there are similar reports from Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khamma districts, he said.

As things stand, the Samaikhay Shankaravam meeting will go on as schedule and the meeting is being held to drive home our view point that people of all regions of the state are like a family and there need not be any provocative speeches.

On the reports that the State Governor was in Delhi to speed up the process of division, he said, we leave it to his wisdom. Holding such a high position going to Digivijay Singh's house is unbecoming of his position, he said.