Rain toll rises to 24 in Andhra Pradesh; 17 go missing

VIJAYAWADA: Heavy rains in the last few days claimed 24 lives while 17 persons went missing apart from causing damage to property worth Rs 231 lakhs mainly in Kadapa, Chittoor, Anantapur and Nellore districts in Andhra Pradesh.

Continuous rainfall inundated 1,337 villages located in 172 mandals and four towns affecting nearly 23,994 people in the four districts. At least 1,549 houses suffered damages and 488 houses were inundated. As many as 1,791 livestock and 3,232 poultry perished in the rains. The district authorities set up 243 relief camps and evacuated 20,923 persons to safety by accommodating them in the relief camps.

With regard to damage to infrastructure, the authorities in the departments like roads and buildings, minor irrigation, energy, panchayat raj, rural water supply and sanitation, municipal administration came up with estimates to take up both temporary and permanent restoration works at a cost of Rs 24,594.45 lakh in the four districts. The authorities are taking up restoration works pertaining to roads, breaches, and to power feeders, KV poles, LT poles and others.

The state government released funds for undertaking relief operations in the affected districts and to meet expenses to provide basic amenities to the tune of Rs 2 crore to Chittoor, Rs 1.50 crore to Nellore, Rs Rs1 crore to Anantapur and Rs 2.50 crore to Kadapa. As a special assistance, each person is given Rs 1,000 to a maximum of Rs 2,000 per family as they were sheltered in the relief camps. Special officers to Chittoor, Kadapa and Nellore were appointed and they were directed to report to the concerned district immediately.

District collectors were given instructions to operate control rooms 24x7 at the collectorates, to evacuate people to safety to ensure human casualty to zero, to maintain adequate stocks of medicines and also essential commodities and to take several other measures.