Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has announced a ₹1,000 crore package to construct a new residential colony at a suitable place in Bhadrachalam and initiate concrete measures, in consultation with the irrigation and other experts, to find a lasting solution to the recurring problem of flooding in and around the temple town of Bhadrachalam.
He was speaking to mediapersons after visiting the flood-affected areas and relief camps in Bhadrachalam, where the Godavari continued to flow ferociously, nearly ten feet above the danger mark on July 17.
He said an interim relief of ₹10,000 and 20 kg rice will be disbursed to each flood-affected family to tide over the difficulties.
Citing some weather forecasts, he said the danger still persists as there is a possibility of heavy rains lashing the upstream areas of the river till the month-end. There is no room for complacency, he said, underlining the need for maintaining a high state of alert and keeping more than 20,000 flood-affected people in the relief camps till the danger completely subsides.
“It is inevitable to shift the people living in the flood prone areas in and around the temple town and for this purpose a new residential colony will be constructed at a suitable place. Flood-affected people expressed their willingness to move out of the low-lying areas during my interaction with the residents of Subash Nagar Colony and other flood prone areas,” Mr. Rao said.
The State government, in association with the Singatreni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), will implement the ₹1,000 crore package to provide a permanent solution to the recurring problem of flooding in Bhadrachalam and some areas in Burgampadu mandal of Pinapaka constituency, he announced.
The services of the IIT professors with vast experience will also be availed in this regard, he added.
Referring to the unprecedented rainfall that battered the Godavari river basin in the past week, he said the Kadem project in Nirmal district witnessed unusual massive inflows of 5 lakh cusecs three days ago. It’s only divine intervention that saved the Kadem dam, he remarked.
Some unconfirmed reports are doing the rounds about conspiracies by some foreign countries behind the unusual and unprecedented rainfall in the Godavari basin as was reported in Ladakh and Uttarakhand in the past, Mr. Rao pointed out.
He said he would personally lay the foundation stone for the new housing colony soon and chalk out an action plan to develop the famous pilgrim centre of Bhadrachalam once the situation gets back to normal.
He appreciated the district administration, the police, the NDRF and the Army personnel for their relentless efforts in the flood-affected areas and said it is because of their dedicated efforts no loss of life was reported in the current flood devastation.
