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Delay in relief angers public in flood-hit Andhra and Telangana

Six navy choppers were pressed into service to rescue people and drop food and water packets. However, several of those stranded claimed relief teams didn’t reach them in time.

Delay in relief angers public in flood-hit Andhra and TelanganaA railway track near Intakanne railway station in Telangana’s Mahabubabad district, Monday. (ANI)
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With flooding in several parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, administrations of both states faced allegations of delay in distribution of relief materials.

In Vijayawada, overnight rain caused the Budameru Rivulet to overflow, flooding low-lying areas such as Singh Nagar and Nandamuri Nagar, and forcing nearly two lakh people to take shelter on the upper floors of their buildings.

Six navy choppers were pressed into service to rescue people and drop food and water packets. However, several of those stranded claimed relief teams didn’t reach them in time.

CM Chandrababu Naidu camped out near the flood affected area Monday, and worked out of a caravan to oversee relief and rescue.

“Andhra Pradesh witnessed major devastation with heavy rain over past three days recorded at 29 cm to 34 cm on a single day due to cloud burst. The heavy rainfall broke all past records in Krishna and Guntur districts,” he said in a statement.

In Telangana’s Khammam, where heavy rain broke a 30-year record, several ministers and MLAs faced public criticism over distribution of relief packets.

Saying he had never seen such devastation, CM Revanth Reddy, who visited Khammam Monday, urged the Narendra Modi-led central government to declare the floods as a national calamity and urged the PM to visit the flood-hit areas to assess the damage. He announced flood assistance of `5 crore to the districts of Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahabubabad and Suryapet.

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Like his Andhra counterpart, Reddy said he would camp overnight near Khammam to oversee relief and rescue operations.

Curated For You

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More

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