Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia to kin of flood victims

Hyderabad, Oct 3 :

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, K Rosaiah, on Saturday announced an ex-gratia of Rs one lakh each to the families of those killed in Floods in Rayalaseema region. Inter acting with the  media after convening an emergency meeting with the Ministers and officials concerned at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister stated that so far the state reported 16 deaths in the Floods.

However, the death toll may rise in marooned areas, he added. He said that the government would also announce compensation for the houses—either fully or partially damaged in the Flood affected areas. The compensation amount would be announced after evaluating  the report from district collectors, he added.

He lauded the services of government officials  for taking preventive measures early in the Flood hit areas. So that they could contain maximum damage caused due to Floods, he added. He asked all party leaders to work with a mission during crisis hour and take up rescue operations in Flood areas.

He said that he actually wanted to visit the Flood-hit areas personally . But the security measures  and other formalities  observed  by the officials during the visit would hamper the relief operations, he pointed out. ``Due  to inclement weather the aerial  survey  could not be materialized  and  when things settle down  I will  visit the  Flood- hit areas,’’  he  further  added.