Pawan assures full support to cyclone-hit farmers

Avanigadda (Krishna district): Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan promised that every farmer affected by Cyclone Montha would receive complete government support. He emphasised that the state government had taken up crop damage assessment and relief measures on a war footing. “Thanks to the government’s advance preparedness and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s foresight, we could significantly reduce the impact of the cyclone,” he said while addressing the media here after an extensive visit to cyclone-affected areas.

The Deputy CM inspected damaged agriculture fields in Avanigadda constituency and interacted with farmers to understand their losses. He said that around 1.38 lakh hectares of crop area across the state had been affected, of which 46,000 hectares were in Krishna district alone, impacting nearly 56,000 farmers. “We will stand by every affected farmer and ensure no one is left behind,” he assured.

Pawan Kalyan said that 1.16 lakh people were shifted to rehabilitation camps as a precautionary measure. He added that sanitation drives, including super chlorination and super sanitation, were initiated immediately to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. As many as 1,583 villages were severely affected, with 21,055 sanitation workers deployed to restore cleanliness and ensure safe drinking water.

The Deputy CM directed officials to start permanent restoration of 274 km of damaged rural roads and remove stagnant water from low-lying areas. “In cyclone shelters, every family will receive free essential commodities — 25 kg rice, pulses, oil, onions, potatoes, and sugar,” he said. Additionally, Rs 1,000 per person and up to Rs 3,000 per family are being distributed as immediate relief before people return home.

He also said that the government would soon approach the Centre for financial assistance based on the preliminary loss report. The NABARD-funded reconstruction of the damaged outfall sluice near Koduru and Rs 13.08 crore road works for Eedurumondi–Gollamanda stretch have already been sanctioned, benefiting five island villages.

Ministers Kollu Ravindra and Vasamshetty Subash, MP Vallabhaneni Balashouri, MLA and Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad, RTC chairman Konakalla Narayana Rao, tourism MD Amrapali, Krishna district collector D K Balaji and SP Vidyasagar Naidu accompanied the Deputy CM during the visit.