YSR urges Central team visit to AP flood districts

New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek Central assistance to overcome the flood situation caused by heavy rains in the five districts which submerged about 2.9 lakh hectares of cropped area claiming 28 lives since October 29.

Apprising Dr Singh the seriousness of the situation and requesting the Centre to immediately rush flood relief to the people in the Krishna-Godavari delta on Prakasham, Guntur, Krishna, West Godavari and East Godavari districts affecting 93 lakh population. The cumulative average rainfall in the first three districts was 272.7mm and the areas were flooded because of continuous rains inundating towns like Chirala, Avanigadda and Machalipatnam.

Dr Singh said Central team will be sent for assessing the damage and organise help very soon. The state had completely exhausted its allocation under Central Relief Fund and an immediate sanction should be made under National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF). ''We are sure the Centre would respond to the situation,'' Dr Reddy said.

He also met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to apprise her about the worst flood faced by the people of the state in recent years.

Dr Reddy met Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora. He had raised the problems concerning shortage of gas supplies to the four 1000 MW power production units in the state. The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) which is supplying 62 per cent of the requirement assured at the meeting to raise the supplies to 75 per cent by March 2007 and 100 per cent in 2008. The state was also awaiting the gas supplies to four power units which were completed to generate 1,500 MW power, but could not be commissioned for want of gas supplies, as promised by the ONGC. The state had sought speeding up the appointment of Statutory Regulator for fixing of domestically produced gas.

Dr Reddy also urged the Petroleum Minister and the ONGC not to withdraw their committed investments of Rs 7,500 crores for Kakinada refinery. After the MOU signing, A P had directed the district authorities in East Godavari district to speed up the process of land acquisition both for SEZ and the refinery. The previous ONGC chairman had even told the government that his organisation was planning to get PM to lay the foundation stone in the first week of April 2006.

To a question about Karnataka's opposition against appointing AP cadre IAS official to Tobacco Board, Dr Reddy said the state was capable of defending its rights with or without A P cadre official.

The Centre has to hear all views because it be not only be judicious but also appear to be judicious, he remarked.

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