Flood Damage: Telangana Urges Centre For Financial Aid

Minister for IT and Industries D Sridhar Babu today urged the BJP-led union government to repay the debt owed to the people of Telangana by declaring the recent floods in the State as a national disaster.

The minister on Wednesday visited the flood-affected areas in Nirmal, Adilabad, Mancherial and Peddapalli districts in Telangana.

In a release, the minister that said the State had been severely affected by unprecedented torrential rains, leading to devastating floods across 14 districts. These floods had resulted in the loss of 16 lives, destruction of crops across nearly 15 lakh acres, and extensive property damage, he said.

He asked the union government to immediately declare the Telangana floods as a national disaster and extend generous financial assistance.

"Such heavy rainfall, measuring 30-40 centimetres in just a few hours - akin to a cloudburst - has never been recorded before. There is an urgent need for a release of Rs 2,000 crore immediately and an additional Rs 5,500 crore to address the damages," Babu said.

The minister also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Telangana to witness the damage for himself.

He also credited the State government's proactive measures and quick deployment of officials for the number of casualties being limited.

The minister also appealed to the union government to provide funds to enhance the discharge capacity of major water projects in North Telangana, including the Kadem, Swarna, Vattivagu, Sathnala, NTR, Gaddenna Vagu and Palvai Purushothama Rao projects.

Accusing the BRS leaders of engaging in petty politics instead of giving constructive suggestions to the State government at the time of crisis, Babu said that they were merely making a show in the media while sitting comfortably at home.