Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy instructed the District Collectors, SPs and officials of various departments to be on high alert for taking up relief measures in wake of the likely landfall of Cyclone Michaung near Bapatla coast.
In a virtual review meeting with officials from his Tadepalli camp office on Monday, the Chief Minister told them to treat the cyclone as a major challenge and take necessary steps to avoid loss of life and property as the cyclonic winds are expected to blow at a speed of over 110 km.
The Collectors of Tirupati, SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema and Kakinada districts explained the relief and rescue preparedness in their respective districts. The Chief Minister said that special officers have been appointed for all cyclone affected districts besides releasing Rs. 2 crore each for rescue and relief works.
The special officers will work in close coordination with the Collectors and if more funds are needed, the Government will comply with the request, he said, adding that Collectors can seek any other support forthwith.
As the official machinery has the experience of tackling cyclones like Hudhud, it should gear up in advance and take measures on war-footing to avoid loss of human lives and livestock. The official machinery should avail the services of village and ward secretariat staff and volunteers in relief and rescue operations, he said.
If the civic amenities like drinking water, food and power supply are adversely affected in any area, they should be restored immediately in saturation mode in all affected areas, he said.
The Chief Minister told them that he would visit the affected places and there should be no complaints from any section of people on the relief measures taken by the Collectors.
He also directed them to provide all necessary essentials like drinking water and food to the victims besides ensuring proper sanitation in relief camps to avoid health hazards.
When the victims leave the relief camps, Rs. 1000 and Rs. 2500 should be given to individuals and families each respectively, he said, adding that 25 kg of rice and essentials of red gram, palm oil, potato and onions of 1kg each should be given to people whose houses are submerged.
If pucca and thatched houses are damaged in the cyclone, they should be compensated with Rs 10,000 each, he said,
When the officials said that 97,000 tons of paddy have been procured and 6.5 lakh tons of paddy have been shifted to safer places in the view of the cyclone, he said that all types of discoloured and wet paddy also should be procured to avoid Kharif crop loss to farmers and added that officials should educate the farmers on safeguarding the crop that is not yet harvested.
In the present difficult times, officials should stand by the famers and extend all possible help with humanity, he told them, suggesting that enumeration of crop loss should be done when the cyclone effect recedes.
When the officials said that five NDRF and five SDRF teams are deployed in vulnerable areas and out of the required 308 camps, 181 relief camps have been opened and people are being shifted from vulnerable areas, the Chief Minister said that steps should be taken to open the rest of the camps also.
Officials should also be ready to attend to emergency services like shifting pregnant women, lactating mothers and the aged to hospitals for necessary medical treatment, he said.
