CM Naidu focuses on last mile relief

Vijayawada: With inflows into River Krishna having come down and rains taking a break during the last 24 hours, water in some areas like Singh Nagar which were one of the worst-affected areas, life has been limping back though it would take at least a week for normalcy to be restored provided there are no fresh rains.

People, who were stranded in flood waters and could not come out and have been suffering due to power outages and heavy slush formations, started moving to safer places wading through waist to knee-deep water in many colonies. The entire administration, including Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu who has been in the field for the last three days had been taking up the rescue and relief operations. But still, it could not reach the last mile colonies like VAMBAY, and Ramalingeswarapuram and in West Vijayawada like Sitara Centre, Vidyadharapuram, and Jakkampudi.

This fact was admitted by the Chief Minister on Tuesday morning while talking to the media. He said the government was doing all that was humanly possible. He said apart from organising, a large number of NDRF teams equipped with motor boats have been supplying food, water and medicines.

Where motor boats could not reach, six helicopters were used. For the first time 30 drones were used in disaster management, he said. Apart from all hoteliers, food supply was arranged from 10 districts.

On Tuesday, Naidu skipping his lunch went on surprise visits to last-mile colonies changing the route of his travel instantly which made the traffic police jittery as they were not sure which way the CM would go. With minimum security, Naidu went around the last mile colonies travelling on a JCB for about four hours, interacted with the people, and directed the officials to see that food, water, and medicines reached them immediately.

Following this, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha and other ministers and MLAs were seen using all possible modes of transport, mainly tractors to supply food.

He said one officer from Octopus, Greyhound, and civil police would accompany the relief boats and officials should supervise the food supply.