Citing widespread damages by the cyclone in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Naidu requested Modi to recognise its impact.
Published Dec 10, 2023 | 6:02 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 10, 2023 | 6:10 PM
Cyclone Michaung in Andhra Pradesh.
TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday, 10 December, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to declare the destruction caused by cyclone Michaung as a ‘national disaster’.
Citing widespread damages by the cyclone in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Naidu requested Modi to recognise its impact.
“In light of these circumstances and recognizing that the impact of the cyclone has not been confined to Andhra Pradesh alone but has also affected neighbouring Tamil Nadu, I earnestly request the declaration of cyclone Michaung as a national disaster,” Naidu stated in the letter.
He also urged the Prime Minister to dispatch a central team to assess and estimate the extent of damage.
Naidu said that preliminary assessments pointed to crop losses of up to Rs 10,000 crore with damages to 770 km of roads and considerable impact to drinking water, irrigation, power and other facilities.
According to the former chief minister, recognising the calamity as a national disaster will provide the necessary impetus for immediate relief efforts and the establishment of resilient and long-term infrastructure.
At least seven were killed and thousands of acres of paddy fields submerged as the cyclone and the thundershowers that accompanied it pounded the state. Several houses and acres of farmlands in Bapatla, Tirupati, and Guntur districts remained inundated.
Drinking water and power supply were yet to be fully restored even by 9 December.
“The biggest roadblock is the lack of interest by political leaders and ministers,” CPI(M) leader Ch Babu Rao had told South First, echoing the widespread public criticism as most state ministers were hardly available in the cyclone-hit areas.
Satya Kumar (47), a police constable, died after a tree fell on him on the Kadapa highway while he was attending to his regular duties. In Tirupati, four-year-old Yeswanth in Chintapalli ST Colony, died when a hut’s wall fell on him.
Two people in the Eluru district of Buttaigudem died when an electricity pole fell due to heavy winds on a farmer’s kuchcha house. He had a fire burning in his house. Following the accident, the fire spread to another house nearby, resulting in two fatalities.
Northern Andhra Pradesh also reported deaths. At least three people died due to flash floods in the Paderu division, a tribal hamlet near Visakhapatnam.
More clarity on the death toll is expected in the next couple of days from the Andhra Pradesh government as they are still assessing the situation.
(With PTI inputs)
