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VIJAYAWADA: Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan has directed officials to ensure that relief reaches every individual affected by Cyclone Montha across Kakinada district, which has seen extensive damage to crops, property and infrastructure.Holding a video conference on Friday with the district administration, including the collector, SP and heads of key departments, such as Panchayat Raj, Agriculture, Roads and Rural Development, the Deputy CM asked them to assess the damage caused to crops and assets. He instructed that the requisite aid must reach every farmer, particularly cotton cultivators in Mallavaram and those from vulnerable coastal villages in the Pithapuram constituency.Pawan underlined the need to prevent health hazards in coastal areas. He directed engineers to urgently reinforce weak embankments along the Yeleru canal to avert flooding during future rains.Kakinada collector Shan Mohan informed the Deputy Chief Minister that 21 mandals and seven municipalities in the district have been affected due to the cyclone, impacting 41,900 families, 27,600 of them dependent on fishing and 313 on sericulture. 61 houses have been damaged, while crops have been lost over 21,711 hectares, of which 668 hectares comprised banana and papaya plantations.With regard to Pithapuram, Shan Mohan said about 33,596 farmers have been affected in the area, including 2,500 cultivators who lost paddy and plantation crops. The cyclone destroyed roads, disrupted power supply, and damaged public utilities across several coastal mandals.The Deputy CM ordered immediate compensation to those whose houses have been damaged. He emphasised that sanitation must be ensured to check the spread of vector-borne diseases. He instructed officials to construct temporary stone embankments along the Uppada coastline to check sea erosion, until a permanent wall is built.Reviewing the situation in Pithapuram, Pawan Kalyan asked officials to pump out stagnant rainwater from low-lying areas. He advised health officials to maintain strict vigilance against spread of diseases.The Deputy Chief Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to restore normalcy and deliver timely relief packages to all the affected persons.
