Hyderabad: Union Minister for Coal and Mines, and Telangana BJP state chief, G. Kishan Reddy, announced that the party’s membership enrollment drive, which was supposed to start on Tuesday, has been postponed. Instead, party members and leaders have been asked to focus on flood relief and rehabilitation efforts, working alongside the government to help those affected.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Kishan Reddy mentioned that the new schedule for the membership drive will be announced later. He explained that 11 districts in Telangana have been experiencing heavy rains for the past four days, with Khammam and Mahabubabad being the worst affected. The heavy rains have resulted in the loss of lives, damage to property and crops, and disruptions to national highways and train tracks.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have been in contact with Telangana’s Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, offering federal support. The Centre has sent National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to assist in rescue and relief operations. The Union Home Ministry is closely monitoring the situation in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and coordinating with the state governments to provide necessary support.
Kishan Reddy stated that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has instructed authorities to restore national highways as quickly as possible. Repair works are also underway to fix the damaged railway lines in Khammam and Warangal districts. Despite warnings about the heavy rains, several village-level tanks were breached, leading to unfortunate loss of life.
BJP Chief JP Nadda has directed party members not to make any political statements or criticisms during this time of crisis. Instead, they have been asked to focus on assisting the affected communities by distributing food and water and helping to relocate people from low-lying areas to safer locations.
Many villages are still waiting for relief operations to reach them. The state government currently has Rs 1,345 crore in its State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Additionally, Rs 208 crore is pending release because the state has not yet submitted the necessary utilization certificates. Kishan Reddy mentioned that he has spoken to the relevant ministry to expedite the release of these funds, and that once the state government submits a report on the damages, central teams will visit to assess the situation so that additional funds can be released.
The Telangana government has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh for the loss of life. Kishan Reddy clarified that the Centre provides Rs 3 lakh for loss of life, Rs 2.5 lakh for disability, Rs 16,000 for more than seven days of hospitalization, and Rs 5,400 for less than a week of hospitalization. Additional compensation includes Rs 2,500 for the loss of clothes, Rs 2,500 for utensils, Rs 35,500 for loss of cattle, and Rs 4,000 for loss of sheep and goats. For crop damage, Rs 32,000 per hectare is provided, along with extra workdays under MGNREGA, and Rs 18,000 per hectare for removing sand from cultivable lands. However, the state government is responsible for assessing these damages and submitting details to obtain these funds from the Centre.
Kishan Reddy also mentioned that the practice of declaring a natural calamity as a national calamity no longer exists. He added that while the Prime Minister will visit the affected areas, immediate visits could disrupt ongoing relief operations, as seen in previous disasters like the Wayanad floods.
Furthermore, Kishan Reddy emphasized the need for the state government to form medical teams to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in the affected areas.
Lastly, he announced that the Telangana Liberation Day will be observed on September 17 at Secunderabad Parade Grounds, under the Centre’s initiative, and will be celebrated as Hyderabad Mukti Diwas.
