Rosaiah appeals Centre for Rs6,000crore immediate flood relief

Andhra Pradesh chief minister K Rosaiah today urged the Centre to consider the devastating floods in the state as a national calamity and provide Rs6,000crore for relief works immediately.

In a letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh, Rosaiah said the preliminary estimate of damages due to heavy rains and floods arrives at Rs12,225crore.

"I request that the government of India may kindly consider the said calamity as national calamity of rare severity and release immediately an amount of Rs6,000crore under National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF)as advance so as to enable the state government to take up relief, rehabilitation and restoration works on war footing basis," he said in the letter.

Highlighting the severity of the flood situation in the state, Rosaiah said some mandals in the districts of Mahabubnagar and Kurnool had rainfall of over 30cm in a day, leading to heavy inflows into major projects located in Krishna basin like Jurala, Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Prakasam barrage and Sunkesula.