HYDERABAD: Families of those killed in the recent floods in the State will receive a total ex gratia of Rs. 2.50 lakhs each following Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy's announcement of an additional Rs. one lakh as compensation in the Assembly on Monday.

The Chief Minister made this announcement while replying to a debate in the Assembly on the floods in which 131 people were killed and more than 2.12 lakh hectares of agriculture and horticulture crops damaged. Already, the victims' kin are eligible to receive Rs.50,000 under the Apath Bandhu and another Rs.1 lakh from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

Patting the administration for good work done, Dr. Reddy appealed to the members to rise above party loyalties and ensure that problems of flood-hit people were mitigated. He said discharges from irrigation projects were managed well thus ensuring that there was no submergence in Krishna and Guntur districts.

Stating that it was only the second time that such a calamity had occurred in the last 53 years, the Chief Minister lauded the Health department for preventing outbreak of epidemics. A team of officials from the National Rural Health Mission had declared that no other State had done so well in post-flood prevention of epidemics.

Officials had worked disregarding risk to their lives, he said.

The East Godavari Collector would have been washed away had he not been saved by people. Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy said that 65,700 quintals of seeds to enable farmers to raise alternative crops had been kept in the affected districts. Consumption loans of Rs.1,000 were being extended without any guarantee to those who lost "everything".

Massive scheme

Revenue Minister D. Prasada Rao said a massive scheme had been prepared for control of floods and World Bank assistance would be sought soon. The bank would be asked to treat the entire State as cyclone-prone and accordingly extend assistance. He expressed the Government's resolve to go ahead with the construction of Polavaram project.

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