KAKINADA: Though many cyclone shelters in East Godavari district are in a dilapidated condition, the officials have not initiated any concrete measures to repair them. Of the total 168 cyclone shelters in the district, 99 are in a bad shape. The shelters are also ill-equipped to accommodate evacuees in case of floods or cyclones. Generally, cyclones hit the coastal districts in April, May, June, October and November. The district with a coastline of 163 km, has 13 cyclone-prone mandals. Another 13 mandals located near the coast are vulnerable. About 14 lakh people are residing in these mandals.At a meeting held in April, the Revenue, Panchayat Raj, Irrigation, Roads and Buildings, Transport, Police, Fire, Medical and Health, Rural Water Supply and Civil Supplies and Fisheries officials discussed the precautionary measures to be taken to mitigate loss in case of an eventuality during rainy season.The mandal officials were asked to submit proposals worth Rs 25 lakh to take up repairs to cyclone shelters and purchase of necessary equipment. Despite the promise of the collector, the government is yet to release Rs 1.73 crore to execute the repairs.Making things worse, the cyclone warning equipment is not functioning properly. The mandal officials have not alerted the cyclone warning centre in Chennai about the malfunctioning of the equipment. The 12 rescue boats of Fisheries Department are also not working.
Comments
0 comment