The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Delhi have announced a donation of Rs 15 crore and Rs 10 crore respectively to the Telangana government, as heavy rains ravaged the state. The heavy spell of rains has flooded Hyderabad, killing at least 33 persons in rain-related incidents. Across the state, 70 people were killed due to the rain, which was triggered by a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal last week.
Announcing the relief, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said, “Floods have caused havoc in Hyderabad. People of Delhi stand by our brother and sisters in Hyderabad in this hour of crisis. The Delhi government will donate Rs 15 crore to the government of Telangana for its relief efforts.”
Earlier on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Edappadi Palaniswami had expressed his solidarity with the Telangana government, which is reeling from the crisis. He donated Rs 10 crore from the Chief Minister’s public relief fund. Along with the monetary aid, the Tamil Nadu government is also donating blankets and mats to those affected by the floods.
“At this difficult time, on behalf of the State Government and people of Tamil Nadu, I convey my heartfelt condolences to the family members of all those who have lost their lives in the rains and floods. As a token of the support and solidarity of the Government and people of Tamil Nadu with the Government and people of Telangana in their hour of need, I have ordered the immediate contribution of a sum of Rs.10 crore from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to the Government of Telangana,” said the Chief Minister.
“We are also sending blankets and mats as relief material to the affected families. I also assure you that the Government of Tamil Nadu stands ready to render any other assistance as may be required by the Government of Telangana,” he added.
Thanking both the Chief Ministers for their timely help, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed his gratitude to them over the phone.
Chief Minister Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao thanked @CMOTamilNadu Sri Palaniswami over the phone for extending financial help to the rain affected Telangana state. CM Sri KCR also thanked CM Sri Palaniswami for his generosity in extending material help besides the financial help.
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) October 20, 2020
CM Sri KCR, over a telephone call, thanked Delhi CM Sri @ArvindKejriwal for extending Rs 15 Cr assistance towards relief efforts in rains and flood-hit Hyderabad. Hon'ble CM stated that Delhi displayed it's generosity through this gesture. https://t.co/Um1eThKjmz
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) October 20, 2020
The Telangana government has estimated that the rain caused Rs 5,000 crore worth of losses in the state, and had sought immediate relief assistance of Rs 1,350 crore from the union government.
Besides monetary help, the Telangana government had asked the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to provide 15 boats each to carry out rescue operations efficiently. The Telangana government has had to carry out the operations with just 18 boats so far.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert for Tuesday and Wednesday in the state. This indicates heavy rainfall in several parts of Telangana, including Hyderabad. The risk level for an orange alert is categorised as ‘medium’, alerting officials to be prepared for adverse weather conditions. The effects of the heavy rainfall may include flooding and water logging, trees and electric poles getting uprooted, vehicular traffic being affected for a few hours to a few days, reservoirs overflowing or reaching danger levels and crops submerging, said the IMD.