YSRCP chief blames ‘mismanagement’ by TDP govt for Yeleru floods

Pithapuram(Kakinada district): YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy criticised the state government’s handling of the Yeleru flood situation, comparing it to the recent floods in Vijayawada, and questioning the lack of proper flood management. He faulted the government for failing to take preventive measures despite early cyclone warnings, noting that no review meetings were held and special officers were not appointed to manage the crisis in the affected districts.

The former chief minister visited flood-affected villages on Friday, touring several areas including Madhavapuram, Nagulapalli, and Ramanakkapeta in the Pithapuram constituency of Kakinada district. During his visit, he interacted with the affected villagers, offering his support and enquiring about the losses they had suffered due to the severe flooding from the Yeleru reservoir.

Speaking to the media after interacting with flood-affected people in Ramanakkapeta village, Jagan Mohan Reddy raised concerns over the poor management of the Yeleru reservoir, which has a capacity of nearly 23 tmc ft. He questioned why, despite receiving an inflow of 9,950 cusecs on September 1, the government had failed to take appropriate action. Excess water should have been released earlier, as the downstream canal can handle up to 14,000 cusecs. However, only 300 cusecs was released, even when the inflow rose to 5,400 cusecs by September 4. This lack of action led the reservoir to reach full capacity by September 9, leaving no buffer for further inflow. On September 10, 25,270 cusecs of water was released, far exceeding the canal’s capacity and resulting in severe flooding downstream.

He slammed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for the mismanagement of the Yeleru floods, claiming that these were man-made caused by the mishandling of the reservoir under Naidu’s government.

The former CM also slammed Chandrababu Naidu for continuously blaming him (Jagan) for every issue in the state, even four months after the TDP coalition came to power, attempting to shift the blame for their ‘mismanagement’.

On the modernisation of Yeleru canal, Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the project was initiated by the late former chief minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2008 with an allocation of Rs 138 crore. He pointed out that no further work was done on the project after 2014, despite estimations being increased. He explained that the YSRCP government faced challenges due to continuous rainfall, which delayed modernisation efforts, but questioned why similar work was not carried out during Chandrababu Naidu’s tenure when there were no such weather challenges.

Jagan Mohan Reddy also highlighted the challenges faced by farmers, emphasising the strong support systems that were in place under his government like Rythu Bharosa Kendras, crop insurance.

He criticised the TDP coalition government’s promise of Rs 10,000 per acre in compensation for crop loss, questioning how this amount could be provided without key support systems like RBKs, e-cropping, crop insurance.