Central funds for flood relief only after assessing losses: Kishan Reddy

The five-member Central team led by Joint Secretary for Union Ministry of Home Affairs Praveen Vasishta, will submit its report to the Centre after completing the loss estimations

Hyderabad: An inter-ministerial Central team will conduct a two-day field visit to Hyderabad and other districts in Telangana State on Thursday and Friday to assess the damage caused to the properties and crops due to the recent heavy rains and flash floods.

Union Minister of State for Home and Secunderabad MP G Kishan Reddy made it clear that the Union government will release funds based only on the report submitted by the Central team.

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The five-member Central team led by Joint Secretary for Union Ministry of Home Affairs Praveen Vasishta, will submit its report to the Centre after completing the loss estimations. The team will also have RB Kaul from the Finance Ministry, K Manoharan from the Agriculture Ministry, SK Kushawaha from the Road Transport and Highways Ministry and another yet to be named senior official from Jala Shakti (Water Resources) Ministry.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said the team was being sent despite the rains continuing in the State considering devastation that rains have caused. He said the State government has already submitted a preliminary report and it will be assessed along with the report to be submitted by the Central team.

Further, the Union Minister announced that as per the revised norms decided by the NDA government in 2015, Rs 4 lakh each will be disbursed to the families of those who died in floods and d Rs 2 lakh for those who sustained disability during the natural calamity. He said Rs 1,200 will be given for the injured, Rs 1,800 to those who lost their clothes and other belongings and Rs 2,000 for household goods purchases. He stated that necessary funds to provide the financial aid can be met from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Referring to the criticism over the Centre not releasing funds during the disaster that wrecked havoc in Hyderabad, Kishan Reddy who is also Secunderabad MP, stated that the State government could utilise funds available in the SDRF to provide necessary support to the affected families and the Centre would reimburse the same.

“The Centre is ready to provide any kind of assistance to the State government. This is not the right time for politicising the issue. Either the Centre or the State, the funds will be from the public exchequer. So, there is no need for politicking on this issue,” he claimed.

While asking the TRS Ministers and MLAs not to politicise the natural calamity, Kishan Reddy said during the regime of the TRS government in the State, the encroachments on lakes and storm water drains continued unabated. He stated that the satellite data will clearly show the extent of encroachments on all water bodies in the last few years. “Illegal dumping of debris is continuing and I myself had brought this to the notice of collectors concerned many a time,” he said.

He also claimed that the desilting of storm water drains was not being done efficiently and alleged that no measures were taken to prevent urban flooding despite the change of governments over the years.

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