Ministers assure full support to farmers affected by Montha cyclone

Nandyal: The Andhra Pradesh Government has reiterated its commitment to stand by every farmer affected by the Montha cyclone.

Law and Minority Welfare Minister NMD Farooq and Roads, Buildings and Infrastructure Minister BC Janardhan Reddy assured that all affected families will be compensated after accurate ground-level assessments.

The Ministers, along with District Collector G Raja Kumari, Joint Collector Kollabathula Karthik, and Nandikotkur MLA Gitta Jayasurya, conducted a review meeting with district officials at the Nandyal Collectorate on Saturday.

Later, they briefed the media on the extensive damage caused by the cyclone and the relief measures being implemented.

Minister Farooq said that the cyclone caused significant crop losses across several districts and instructed agriculture officials to ensure transparent and scientific assessment of damages. He highlighted that through the innovative “reverse strategy”, flood water of the Kundu River were diverted to protect Nandyal town from severe inundation.

Appreciating the proactive approach of the Chief Minister, he said that regular monitoring and timely instructions from Amaravati helped local authorities prevent large-scale damage.

He commended Collector G Rajakumari and the district administration for their round-the-clock efforts in safeguarding lives and property, adding that the government would ensure complete justice to every affected farmer.

Minister Janardhan Reddy emphasized that no farmer should panic, as the government is determined to support every affected household. He directed officials to personally visit the fields to assess crop damage and not rely solely on office-based estimates.

He suggested revisiting the rule that limits compensation to crops submerged for more than 48 hours to ensure fair relief. The Minister announced that repair works to restore damaged roads would begin immediately, with special funds to be sanctioned if necessary.

Lauding the Chief Minister’s leadership, he said Chandrababu Naidu personally monitored the situation late into the night, while Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Minister Lokesh also supervised field conditions.

He described the district administration’s handling of the cyclone as a “case study” in disaster management and credited the coordination between the coalition government and officials for minimizing damage.

District Collector Raja Kumari explained that although the cyclone’s main impact was expected along coastal areas, Nandyal district experienced flash floods from October 27 to 29. Out of 30 mandals, 27 were affected, with 244 villages and about 17,055 people impacted.

A total of 65,000 hectares of crops were cultivated, of which 36,948 hectares were damaged including 17,000 hectares each of paddy and maize, and 2,000 hectares of other crops.

Horticulture crops like chilli, papaya, and onion were badly hit across 744 hectares. About 7,000 houses were damaged, including 897 severely affected ones.

The administration established 36 rehabilitation centers and initiated compensation Rs.1.20 lakh for fully collapsed houses, Rs 6,000 for pucca houses, and Rs.4,000 for kuccha houses. Infrastructure damage included 27 R&B roads covering 110 km, six Panchayat Raj roads spanning 32.85 km, and 17 minor irrigation tanks.

The total damage, excluding agriculture and horticulture, was estimated at Rs.16.86 crore. For the first time, under the “reverse

strategy,” flood waters from the Kundu River were successfully diverted to the Galeru–Nagari Sujala Sravanthi Project, effectively protecting Nandyal town from severe flooding.