Power, water supply improve, relief works on brisk pace in Andhra

Visakhapatnam, Oct 17: Relief work in Andhra Pradesh's cyclone-hit districts continued at a brisk pace amid expectations that essential services would be restored in a major way by tomorrow evening, six days after

struck the coastal belt resulting in loss of 38 lives and large-scale destruction.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the entire administration has been working hard to bring back normalcy in the affected areas. Most of the localities in the port city, which bore the brunt of the cyclone fury on Sunday, were receiving power and drinking water supplies, he said.

Naidu expressed hope that by tomorrow evening 80 per cent of the power restoration work would be completed, while 90 to 100 per cent of power supply and 90 per cent of communication services would be normal in the city. Energy department officials said efforts are being made to draw power from Odisha to tide over the crisis in the affected districts, where supply has been drastically disrupted.

As many as 1,000 people are working in Visakhapatnam rural and urban areas to restore power supply, 1,500 in Vizianagaram while others are deployed in Srikakulam for restoration work. Power supply work in Srikakulam is almost completed and all the 33/11 kv substations have been rectified.

Forty-three people have been injured in the cyclone havoc in 320 villages of the cyclone-hit districts while nearly 2.5 lakh people have been affected.

Authorities have counted 11,318 damaged houses. More than 1.35 lakh people are taking shelter in 223 relief camps, where food is being provided to 6.85 lakh persons. Many community properties and public infrastructure belonging to various government departments were also severely damaged in the cyclonic storm.

PTI