Revanth Reddy urges Centre for Rs 10,320 crore flood relief for Telangana

HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged the central government to provide immediate financial assistance of Rs 10,320 crore to aid the state in recovering from the severe damage caused by recent floods.

During a meeting with a central team sent to assess the situation, Revanth Reddy stressed the need to release disaster relief funds without imposing strict conditions, calling the Centre’s guidelines overly restrictive.

According to a comprehensive damage assessment as of 8th September, the floods have led to losses across multiple sectors. The roads and bridges sector faced the largest hit, with damage estimated at Rs 7693.53 crore, followed by agriculture, which incurred losses of Rs 231.13 crore. The total estimated loss across all sectors is Rs 10,320.72 crore. Additional damages were noted in housing (Rs 25.30 crore), fisheries (Rs 56.41 crore), irrigation (Rs 483 crore), and power infrastructure (Rs 179.88 crore). Human casualties alone amounted to Rs 1.40 crore in losses.

Revanth Reddy expressed concern that the current rules governing the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) make it difficult for states to utilise the available Rs 1350 crore. He specifically criticised the Centre's outdated cost norms, which limit repair funds for roads to just Rs 1 lakh per kilometre. This, he noted, is insufficient even for temporary repairs in heavily affected areas. The Chief Minister promised to submit detailed reports, including a request for revising the Standard Schedule of Rates (SSR) to reflect the current costs.

Highlighting the state government's efforts, Revanth Reddy said the timely response by ministers and officials had reduced the loss of life. However, he stressed that infrastructure, homes, and agricultural lands suffered extensive damage. Thousands of houses were destroyed, while farmers faced heavy losses with vast areas of crop fields inundated and covered with debris. Roads, bridges, culverts, and tanks across the state were washed away, surpassing initial estimates.

The Chief Minister sought immediate assistance for long-term flood prevention measures. He particularly highlighted the need for a retaining wall along the Munneru stream in Khammam to avoid future flooding. Revanth Reddy assured that the state would cover its portion of the expenses if the Centre allocated sufficient funds for such critical infrastructure projects.

Furthermore, Revanth Reddy urged the Centre to focus on disaster prevention rather than post-disaster relief. He suggested improving early warning systems for climate-related calamities like floods and heatwaves. He proposed using police battalions across various districts for emergency response and sought NDRF support to train 100 personnel from each battalion for disaster management.

In addition, the recent uprooting of nearly 50,000 acres of forest trees in Medaram was discussed. Revanth Reddy expressed concerns that such incidents could cause severe damage if they occurred in populated areas. He requested a scientific study by the Centre to investigate the causes and prevent similar events in the future.

The central team, led by NDMA advisor Colonel KP Singh, visited flood-hit districts like Khammam, Mahabubabad, and Suryapet to inspect the damage.