Cyclone Nilam aftermath: 24 dead, 68,000 evacuated in AP

Twenty-four people have been killed in rain-related incidents in Andhra Pradesh as heavy rains continued to batter several regions under the influence of 'Cyclone Nilam'. Coastal Andhra Pradesh continued to bear the brunt of nature's fury as villages and towns were inundated by swollen rivulets.

Sources say that 68,000 people have been evacuated from low lying areas to relief camps. Sources further say that due to heavy rain 5 lakh hectares of crop have been destroyed in the state.

The Andhra Pradesh government will request the Centre to depute a team of officials to the state to assess the massive damage caused by heavy rains over the last few days and provide assistance.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy would write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard, Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy told reporters in Hyderabad on Monday. He was speaking after a high-level review meeting held by the Chief Minister with ministers and senior officials.

The Chief Minister, state Congress president and Transport Minister Botsa Satyanarayana and ministers for agriculture and civil supplies would undertake an aerial survey and field visits on Tuesday in Krishna, Khammam, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari districts to interact with victims and to get first hand information.

Meanwhile, Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu said an assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh would be given to the kin of the deceased. The Chief Minister would also request the Centre to relax the norms for purchase of cotton affected by rains, he said.

To a query, the Revenue Minister said it was not correct to say that the state government delayed in taking relief measures as the government machinery was put on alert immediately. He, however, regretted that there was no mechanism to predict North-East Monsoon rains. There is a mechanism available with India Meteorological Department to predict South-West monsoon but not North-East Monsoon (winter rains received in parts of south India), he said.

Cyclone 'Nilam' crossed the Tamil Nadu coast last week without causing massive destruction. It gradually weakened into a low pressure area resulting in heavy rains in the coastal Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Home Minister P Sabita Indra Reddy will visit the rain-affected areas in the East Godavari district on Tuesday.