TDP politburo member and Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Council, Yanamala Ramakrishnudu, on Wednesday said that Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, has miserably failed in taking the preventive measures to overcome the cyclone effect on the State.
Though the standing crop got damaged in lakhs of acres due to the ongoing storm the Chief Minister did not come out of his Tadepalle palace, Ramakrishnudu said in a press note released here. Despite enough caution for almost a week before the cyclone hit the State, Jagan did not alert the official circles and did not supply even food, water and other essentials to the affected people, he added.
Jagan simply washed off his hands by simply conducting a routine review meeting, the TDP politburo member said and expressed serious concern that the people in the cyclone-hit areas are spending time under constant fear. Neither the Minister for Agriculture nor the Minister for Irrigation is worried about the problems being faced by the farmers due to the cyclonic storm, he felt.
Regretting that standing crop in lakhs of acres in the State is affected by the Michaung cyclone, Ramakrishnudu said and stated that as per the preliminary estimates farm products to the tune of Rs 7,000 cr are damaged. The farmers, particularly the paddy cultivators, are in deep distress while tobacco, cotton, chilli, ground-nut and other crops too got totally damaged due to the cyclone in at least eight districts in the State, the TDP politburo member said.
The inefficiency of the Jagan Government reflects from the fact that only a single packet of food is supplied to every family in the flood-hit areas while no efforts have been taken in many places to shift the cyclone-hit to the rehabilitation centres. Even power was not restored and tarpaulins and gunny bags too are not supplied to the farmers, he added.
Instead of alerting people from village to State level, Jagan is taking rest at his palace throwing the people in the lurch. Ramakrishnudu demanded that the State Government at least get alerted now to come to the rescue of the affected people and pay necessary compensation for those who suffered crop loss. The Government should purchase the damaged farm products, he added.
