Himayathsagar Needs Only 5k Cusecs: Ponnam

Hyderabad: The Himayatsagar reservoir will fill to up if 5,000 cusecs of water is received in the next few days, said BC welfare and Hyderabad in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar here on Tuesday, after inspecting the reservoir along with Hyderabad and Rangareddy district collectors Anudeep Durishetty and K. Shashanka.

He asked the collectors to take preventive measures to avoid any inconvenience to people if the reservoir reaches full storage capacity.

Referring to the criticism of BRS on flood relief operations, Prabhakar told the Opposition party this was not the time for criticism against the state government. “We can indulge in politics during Assembly sessions or at the time of elections but not during these floods, which have caused extensive damage to the people,” he said.

The minister took on the BRS leaders by saying that when the people were facing problems, a politician was making remarks using X from the US and another one sitting in the farmhouse. “No one from the BRS consoled the family members of those who died in a major incident in Kondagattu that claimed the lives of 69 people. You have no humanity. Before criticising us, please do introspection,” he commented.

Prabhakar held the deaths during floods were caused accidentally but not because of the government's negligence. "The State government already announced Rs.5 lakh ex gratia to the family members of those who died in the floods. The entire government machinery has been working round-the-clock and monitoring the situation. Preliminary estimates revealed that damage to the tune of Rs.5,000 crore was caused due to the heavy rains and floods in the state," he added.