Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, has ordered the officials to protect the waterlogged standing crops and aid the farmers in time, who have been hit by Cyclone Montha, with the utmost priority all over the state.
🌾 Relief Operations on War Footing
In a teleconference with top officials on the previous Friday, the Chief Minister gave orders to the departments to make use of the satellite imagery to locate the agricultural fields which have been submerged and to let the floodwater out. He said that crop protection should be the administration’s primary concern during the post-cyclone relief process.
Naidu also urged the state government to invest in new drainage systems to secure further crop loss and at the same time to make the long-term flood-prone area residents able to cope with the flooding.
🧑🌾 On-Ground Monitoring and Scientific Support
The Chief Minister insisted that local elected officials would be the ones to go to the affected farmlands, and they would be working together with the agriculture scientists in advising the farmers on how to save the perished crops.
The officials told Naidu that more than 60% of the agricultural lands in the Bapatla area are still inundated, while the relief teams are continuously working to bring the situation back to normal.
📋 Crop Loss Assessment and Central Aid
Naidu directed that the administration make an initial report of the crop loss and send it to the Central Government as soon as possible. He also mentioned that he would directly talk to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inform him of the consequences of the cyclone and to request government support for the affected areas.
🏅 Recognizing Relief Efforts
The Chief Minister commended the officials’ activities which were essential in the Montha cyclone relief operations, and he declared that there would be a special award ceremony where 100 officials, who had been doing such excellent work, would be recognized.
