The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : `Declare flood a national calamity'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 11, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

`Declare flood a national calamity'

Special Correspondent

Administration accused of "total failure" in tackling the situation

HYDERABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Party has asked the Government to declare the extensive damage caused by floods in Godavari as a `national calamity.' At a press conference here on Thursday, BJP leaders -- Bandaru Dattatreya, S. V. Seshagiri Rao and K. Laxman -- accused the administration of "total negligence" in tackling the situation. They wanted the Centre to release additional funds apart from Rs.275 crores under Calamity Relief Fund (CRF). They said BJP MPs would bring pressure on the Centre in Parliament to declare the devastation as a `national calamity.'

Charging the administration with remaining "callous", they said never before had so many villages (1,000) remained under a sheet of water even six days after the floods. The officials had completely neglected the situation.

Administrative calamity

Mr. Dattatreya, who toured the Godavari districts, said that it was more of an administrative calamity than a natural one. The officials had not stored sand bags and other materials required to meet such situations. They also failed to supply essential items to affected people or restore power to most of the flood-hit areas in Konaseema.

Urging the Government to strengthen bunds along the river, the BJP leaders wanted steps initiated immediately to prevent outbreak of infectious diseases in the flood-hit areas. They wanted Rs.2,000 to be paid for each partially damaged house, Rs.5,000 for fully damaged one and construction of dwellings for people in low-lying areas under Indira Awaz Yojana.

CPI(M) plea

The State committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the Central Government to declare the flood situation in the State as a national calamity and announce an immediate relief package of Rs. 500 crores.

The two-day meeting of the CPI (M) State committee that commenced here on Thursday faulted the Government for its tardy response in providing relief and rehabilitation to the flood-affected people. The Government had failed in timely deployment of helicopters that could have rescued more number of people, the party alleged.

Minister criticised

The party criticised Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy for claiming that the State had benefited because of the floods while they had wreaked havoc in several districts. The Government should take steps to provide Rs. 1 lakh ex gratia to the victims' families of those who died, due to floods while compensation of not less than Rs. 2,000 an acre should be paid to those who lost their crops, the party said.

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