The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : State to seek Rs. 317 crores for tsunami relief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 31, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

State to seek Rs. 317 crores for tsunami relief

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 30. The Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, today said that an assistance of Rs.317 crores would be sought from the Centre for a rehabilitation programme in the tsunami-hit coastal districts, even as a red alert triggered panic among the people in some of the affected places.

Dr. Reddy told presspersons today that the Collectors of the coastal districts were asked to evacuate the people living in the low-lying areas to safer places after the Centre alerted the State Government. He reviewed the situation with Ministers and officials.

He said a memorandum would be submitted to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, during his visit to the State tomorrow to the tsunami-affected areas.

A major chunk of the assistance of Rs. 160 crores would be for building 40,000 houses for fishermen living in the vulnerable areas near the coastline. In addition, the Government would seek Rs. 47 crores for the loss of 47,000 fishing nets, Rs. 42 crores for repairing roads, Rs. 50 crores for protected drinking water supply, Rs. 12.80 crores for fishing boats and Rs. 5.20 crores miscellaneous expenditure.

Reports from coastal districts indicated that the administration had swung into action, making arrangements for shifting people from vulnerable areas to safer places, wherever necessary. Fishermen had been warned against venturing into the sea. The police and revenue authorities were on high alert.

Monitoring situation

The red alert caused panic in some places in Visakhapatnam and people in high- rise buildings rushed out to open spaces after the TV channels ran scrolls of tsunami threat. Police and civic officials proceeded to the beach areas and fishing harbour to monitor the situation. The civic officials alerted people living close to the shore and asked them to leave for safer places. In Srikakulam district headquarters and other towns on the coast, panic- stricken people came on to the streets. Schools and colleges declared a holiday midway through classes.

In Nellore, the district administration positioned lorries to shift people besides arranging food and accommodation at school and college buildings. The police were in full strength in Mypadu, which took the beating last time.

In East Godavari, the alert evoked mixed response. Though the administration spread the word along the coast and installed barricades to the roads leading to seashore, only a few fishermen families preferred to go to shelters identified by the administration. Several of the fishermen stayed back home without even going out to beaches at Uppada, Nakka Rameswaram and Odalarevu.

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