Central team to visit Telangana from Monday to assess damage due to floods, rains

Hyderabad: An Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) will visit Telangana on July 31 to assess the damage caused by floods in the state following the recent heavy rains.

The team will be led by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Advisor Kunal Satyarthi and will consist of representatives of ministries/departments of Agriculture, Finance, Jal Shakti, Power, Road Transport and Highways, and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). The central team is being dispatched to Telangana on the instructions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, a release from the office of Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy said on Sunday.    

At least 18 people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents due to the downpour that lashed Telangana during the past week, officials said.
Relief work gained momentum on Saturday as rainfall came to a halt in many parts of the state.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao supervised the relief operations during the day speaking to ministers and Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari, an official release said on Saturday night.

In view of urgency of the matter, the central team will visit Telangana from July 31. Upon assessment of damage based on IMCT visit and further upon submission of the state government's detailed memorandum, the central team may visit the state again for the second time.

Reddy on Saturday tweeted: "Met Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji today evening along with a delegation of senior leaders of @BJP4Telangana and apprised him of the severe flood situation which paralysed civic life, damaged crops causing huge loss to farmers and rendered many homeless. Shri Amit Shah instructed the Home Secretary to immediately despatch a high powered team of officials to Telangana for assessment of the damage. Thank you Shri Amit Shah Ji for the prompt response."

The heavy rains during the past one week led to the inundation of low-lying areas and damage to agricultural fields at several places in the state.

In a press release, the Met Centre said heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Nirmal, Jagityal, Rajanna Sirsilla, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem of Telangana on August 1.