Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday, September 2, announced that the government will establish a ‘State Disaster Response Force’ with 8 teams comprising 100 persons in each of them, to swing into action and reach the natural disaster affected areas immediately whenever a crisis happens.
Revanth Reddy toured flood-affected areas of Huzurnagar, Kodad, Suryapet, Palair and Khammam to assess the damage and instill confidence in the people affected by the floods on Monday. The state, in particular these areas, have been most affected due to heavy rains that have lashed Telangana over the last few days.
Addressing government officials and district collectors at a review meeting on the floods at the Khammam collectorate in the evening, Revanth Reddy said that the 8 teams will be stationed in different regions of the state, and that police personnel from the special task force and other police forces will be made part of the response force.
However, it may be noted that Telangana already has an existing disaster response force. Revanth Reddy also said that boats and other rescue equipment would be given to all those teams so that they can reach the disaster-hit areas the very next minute when something happens. It may be noted that a family that had reached out for help in Khammam had a harsh time as rescue efforts could not reach them during the calamity.
Revanth Reddy said the decision was taken because of the delay in response time being seen when help was being sought from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) of the Centre, in times of dire need.
Criticising the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government for “neither having a policy for such natural disasters, nor framing the procedures to be followed in such situations” during its 10-year-rule, Revanth Reddy said that it wasn’t proper on part of BRS leaders to indulge in mudslinging to cover-up their own failures.
Revanth’s words of wisdom for KCR and KTR
“You may sleep in your farmhouse or spend lavishly on foreign trips,” he said, referring to BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) who he said, was resting at his farmhouse, and BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR), who he said, has gone to the US with his friends.
“If you want to enjoy, you can enjoy, but questioning on Twitter where were the three Congress ministers from Khammam is wrong. Are you in your senses and do you have any information,” Revanth Reddu questioned KTR.
Questioning why KCR was silent on the issue of asking the Centre to declare the floods as national calamity, Revanth felt that the former didn’t need the leader of opposition status to remain silent.
“You claim that you led the Telangana movement, but when the people are suffering you are not with them. Even the opposition leaders in AP (APCC president YS Sharmila) are touring the flood-affected areas but not you. You have looted one lakh crore from the people. If possible you give a thousand or more crores as relief for the people,” Revanth Reddy said, directing his criticism at KCR and KTR.
Calling upon the opposition parties to join the Congress to press the demand for declaring the floods as national calamity, he said that the “cheap politics being played” by the BRS would only cause damage to the people. Revanth Reddy said that the Telangana government was willing to take suggestions from the opposition parties on what else could be done to help the people.
Welcomes PM Modi to tour Telangana’s flood-affected areas
Revanth Reddy also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tour the flood-affected areas in Telangana, so that he could understand the extent of damage, and provide aid to the state, by playing the role of an elder brother.
As per the preliminary estimates, he said that he has written to the prime minister seeking Rs 5,438 crore from the Centre from the national disaster relief fund.
Telangana government’s flood relief announcements:
Loss of life- Rs 5 lakh per victim’s kin
Loss of cattle- Rs 50,000 per animal
Loss of goats/sheep- Rs 5,000 per animal
Loss of house- Indiramma house or Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna house
Contingency fund for collectors- Rs 5 crore for Khammam, Kothagudem and Mahabubabad collectors.
