Telangana govt seeks Rs 1,000 crore from Centre for flood relief

The Telangana govt on Wednesday requested the Centre to provide Rs 1,000 crore as immediate assistance towards flood relief to the state

The Telangana government on Wednesday requested the Centre to provide Rs 1,000 crore as immediate assistance towards flood relief to the state.

The state government has sent a report to the Centre about the losses suffered by the state due to recent heavy rains and floods.

As per the initial estimates, various departments suffered losses to the tune of about Rs 1,400 crore.

The Centre has been urged to provide Rs 1,000 crore as immediate assistance.

Several roads and causeways were washed away in the floods. The Roads and Buildings department suffered a loss of Rs 498 crore.

The Panchayat Raj Department's losses were estimated at Rs 449 crore.

The Municipal Administration Department suffered a loss of Rs 379 crore, the losses to the Irrigation Department were estimated at Rs 33 crore and to the Electricity Department at Rs 7 crore.

The official said, due to inundation of houses and shifting of people from flood-hit areas resulted in losses of another Rs 25 crore.

The state government sent the report about the losses on the basis of initial estimates received from various departments.

Earlier on Monday, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday and apprised him of the Godavari floods that have caused damage to lives and livelihoods in the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

According to the Office of G Kishan Reddy, Shah directed the Home Ministry to extend all necessary support at the earliest. Already 13 Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Telangana to carry out rescue and relief operations.

Due to continuous heavy rain for several days in the state, the water level in river Godavari was rising rapidly and hence reached the third warning level at Bhadrachalam on Thursday.

In view of the heavy rainfall in the state, the Telangana government on Thursday directed to identify and shift the people living in low-lying areas to the special camps.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to declare the Telangana floods a National Disaster, besides requesting the deployment of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), financial compensation to farmers and kin of the deceased, and an immediate relief package of Rs 2,000 crore for the repair and construction of roads damaged during floods.