Floods: Initial List of Beneficiaries Published on Sunday

Vijayawada: Chaos prevailed across 179 ward secretariats in the flood-affected areas here as large swarms rushed to check whether their names were mentioned in the initial list of beneficiaries displayed there on Sunday.

The state government had enumerated the losses suffered by a record 2.32 lakh households across 32 wards hit by the devastating Budameru floods before releasing the first list.

The state government had announced relief packages of Rs 25,000 for flooded households on the ground floor and Rs 10,000 for those on the first floor and above.

Many families complained that their names were missing from the beneficiary list. Some others alleged that the enumeration teams incorrectly recorded details such as “listing ground-floor homes as first-floor-floor homes,” categorized completely damaged homes as partially damaged, or identified completely submerged houses as only partially submerged.

Some also reported that damage to household items was overlooked.

Flood victims from Jakkampudi YSR Colony, an area severely affected by the Budameru floods, expressed deep frustration with the first list.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, NTR District Collector Srijana said, "The commotion at the ward secretariats occurred because all the flood victims tried to gather at the secretariats at the same time to check their names on the beneficiaries list."

She stated that the government began the enumeration on Sept 8, covering 2.32 lakh households in the flood-affected areas and released the eligible beneficiaries’ list on Sunday.

"Around 8,000 households approached the authorities with grievances about not finding their names on the list, but more than 50 per cent turned out to be duplicates, as they were already on the list but were trying to claim relief by splitting a single household into multiple households," Srijana said.

She said the government would consider all the reported grievances and conduct re-verifications to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is excluded.

The collector said victims whose names were missing from the first list were asked to report to the authorities immediately. Their grievances were being addressed on Sunday and Monday.