Andhra Pradesh - Guntur   

Poor coordination hampers relief

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR, DEC. 27. A day after the earthquake-triggered tidal waves hit the Guntur coastline there seemed no coordination between several departments to put in place the rehabilitation measures and to ensure there was no outbreak of epidemic.

While the District Panchayat Officer, Radhakrishna, said he had handed over the staff from his department to the Project Director, Challa Vijay Mohan, and kept the machinery at his disposal, nothing had begun in many of the villages from where people had been evacuated.

There were 3,555 people in the 13 relief camps set up by the district administration last night, but majority of them left for their houses in the morning and by afternoon there were only 900 left in the camps at Bapatla, Ponnur, and other towns. Many of them expressed their desire to return to the camp for the night.

Fear factor

The District Revenue Officer, Rama Rao, in-charge of the monitoring cell here, said the administration was making arrangements for all of them for the night, as many were afraid to stay back in their village. The Rural Water Supply Department was also yet to begin testing of drinking water in the villages and make alternative arrangements.

Medical staff ready

The District Medical and Health Officer, M. Sonar Babu, said medical and paramedical staff was ready with its kits in the designated villages to check the health condition of people, but there were very few of them left there as majority of them were in relief camps.

At the relief camps people looked cheerful at Ponnur and Bapatla camps. The Rotary Club of Ponnur had given its hall for the relief and was also arranging food in addition to the measures taken up by the district administration.

Money distributed

The Minister for Cooperation, Kanna Lakshmi Narayana, met the fishermen families at Ponnur in the district. He also handed over Rs. 2,000 each to the family members of the three women from the town, who had died at Machilipatnam on Sunday, for cremation expenses.

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