Mancherial: The IAS officer told the authorities of Agriculture department to alert farmers by forming village-level committees. He asked them to prepare an action plan to tackle the swarms. He directed them to find routes for sending the fire engines to agriculture fields and forests when the insects stray into the district.
Nirmal Superintendent of Police, C Shashidhar Raju told the officials concerned and cops to be cautious and to prevent damage of crops by the locust. He stated that the insects were likely to attack crops in the night. He told the authorities to arrange torch lights, water tankers and chemicals for diverting the swarms. He suggested them to avoid inconvenience to locals when spraying chemicals.
Meanwhile, Mancherial Collector Bharati instructed the officials to take measures for checking the locust. She also provided inputs to prevent the entry of the swarms in the district. She wanted them to have a watch on their arrival and to avoid damage to crops. DCP Uday Kumar, district agriculture officer Veeraiah and many other officials were present.