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Manmohan to undertake aerial survey in A.P. today

Special Correspondent

Prime Minister to fly over Adilabad areas; the Krishna is rising

HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is arriving here on Friday to undertake an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra even as a large number of villages and towns in Bhadrachalam and Konaseema areas have been under water for the past five days.

Dr. Manmohan Singh will will fly over flood-ravaged areas around Pennaganga river, including Nanded in Maharashtra and Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy said Dr. Manmohan Singh would arrive here at 1.30 p.m. and later fly over Nanded and Adilabad in a helicopter. He will return to the city at 5-30 p.m. and witness a power point presentation by officials on the flood damage at the airport before addressing a press conference.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, the Chief Minister expressed hope that Dr. Singh would announce some measures to persuade Maharashtra to take up the Pennganga project to contain the floods. The State Government, on its part, would seek assistance for repairing the 480-km-long Godavari embankments and constructing similar bunds on the banks of Vamsadhara and Nagavali, which played havoc in Srikakulam recently.

The Chief Minister estimated the loss on all counts at over Rs. 1,000 crore.

The Krishna started causing concern to the State administration as it started flooding in the wake of heavy rains in Maharashtra and heavy inflows from the Alamatti projects and two tributaries — the Bhima and the Thungabhadra. Nearly six lakh cusucs of water was being released from Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs. As a result, there was flooding in habitations in Krishna and Guntur districts below the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada. Water level in the Godavari, however, fell. The river was flowing around the danger level of 53 feet near Bhadrachalam.

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