AP: Govt seeks Rs 3,711 cr compensation from Centre for cyclone Michaung damage

Amaravati, Dec 13 (PTI) The Andhra Pradesh government put forward a request of Rs 3,711 crore financial aid to the visiting Central government team which came to assess the trail of destruction left by the cyclone 'Michaung' recently, an official said on Wednesday.

A five-member team headed by Rajendra Ratnoo, Executive Director, National Institute of Disaster Management is currently on a two-day visit to the southern state.

"Department-wise, Roads and Buildings suffered a loss of Rs 2,641 crore, Agriculture (Rs 703 crore), Municipal Administration (Rs 100 crore), Horticulture (Rs 87 crore). Altogether, we requested Rs 3,711 crore in the wake of the damage caused by Michaung," Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director B R Ambedkar in a press release.

He appraised the Central team about the damage caused by the cyclone and gave them the latest report.

Revenue Special Chief Secretary G Sai Prasad, who also handles the disaster management department, appealed to the Central team to be liberal in granting the aid as 19 districts have been affected.

Meanwhile, Ratnoo noted that the Central team is visiting the four most affected districts, Krishna, Bapatla, Nellore and Tirupati and said it will submit the report to the Central Government for compensating the state 'as much as possible'.

On Wednesday, the team toured Krishna district where it viewed a photo exhibition on the damage and a powerpoint presentation on crop loss at Kankipadu.

Later, they visited Davuluru village in Kankipadu mandal and examined the flattened paddy sheaves. At Nimmaluru village in Pamarru mandal, A Rama Koteswar Rao, a tenant farmer of 20 acres, poured out his woes.

At Ramanapudi village in Gudivada mandal, the Central team spoke to a farmer G Venkaeswar Rao, who had left paddy on the road and obtained details from him, among others. PTI