Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday directed the in-charge Ministers and MLAs of flood-affected Chittoor, Kadapa and Nellore districts to stay in the region and monitor rehabilitation and relief operations. The swelling Chitravathi, Papagni and Penna rivers continue to pose a threat at various places in the Rayalaseema region.

Mr. Reddy ordered that due priority be given to maintaining sanitation and desilting of drains and taking steps to prevent the outbreak of viral fevers.

More importantly, the enumeration of crop damages should be completed and compensation paid to the farmers on a war-footing. Also, farm inputs have to be distributed to the farmers, Mr. Reddy added.

Bridge collapses

The road bridge across the Papaghni, connecting Kadapa and Tadipatri towns, collapsed on Sunday due to the impact of the floods. The district was severely battered by rain, especially the Kadapa, Rajampet and Kamalapuram constituencies.

Amid speculative figures that put the number of deceased at over 50, the district administration has officially pegged the death toll at 15 as on Sunday evening. “We have identified 15 bodies and handed them over to relatives and paid a compensation of ₹5 lakh to the kin of 13 victims. Around 22 persons have been reported missing and a search is on for them”, Kadapa Collector V. Vijayarama Raju told Rashtra News.

In Punganur, heavy rains led to the crumbling of the darbar hall and the adjoining walls of the 200-year-old zamindari palace.

In SPSR Nellore district, normal life was thrown out of gear as rains wrecked havoc.

Road and rail traffic to southern parts of the country were disrupted in the wake of breaches to the track and the arterial Chennai-Kolkata highway.

As many as 44,275 people were rescued and shifted to 97 relief camps. The railway track on the Nellore-Padugupadu section suffered a breach resulting in cancellation of 18 south-bound trains, cancellation of two trains and diversion of 10 other long distance trains.

Vehicles were stranded on the Chennai-Kolkata highway for about 12 hours as the highway suffered erosion in Nellore and Kovur.

The AP Transco said it had been taking steps to restore the inundated 132 kv sub-stations and ensuring power supply in flood-hit districts.

As the Railways cancelled trains due to breaches and damage to tracks, many passengers were stranded in Vijayawada, Nellore, Eluru, Gudur and Tirupati. Many trains originating and operating from Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Kakinada, Guntur and Nellore towards Chennai were cancelled and diverted, the South Central Railway said.

In Tirupati, the 500-year-old Rayalacheruvu tank developed minor breaches. The Chittoor district administration issued warning asking people of 16 villages to vacate immediately.

(With inputs from Kadapa, Chittoor, Nellore and Tirupati bureaus)