Andhra Pradesh government has started preparations to beat the summer heat which reached an unprecedented level of 44 degrees Celsius to 45. The state cabinet which met today decided to release Rs 200 crore to get all the protected water schemes repaired on war-footing.
The Cabinet met a day after CM Naidu reviewed the heat wave conditions across the state and water scarcity in the rural areas. He asked officials to ensure that there should be no difficulty in getting drinking water, fodder for the cattle in any village. In tune with the decisions taken yesterday’s meeting, the cabinet today had a thorough discussion on the situation and authorized the officials to take independent decision depending on the location situation.
The cabinet, chaired by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, also decided to instruct the district administrations across the state to start distribution of butter milk in railway stations, bus stations as well as all important traffic junctions in towns in 13 districts. An amount of Rs 3 crore for each district will be released for buttermilk distribution. The government has identified 540 severe problematic villages and instructed the officials to supply drinking water by tankers till the end of the season. Similarly, officials have asked to set up Chalivendrams (drinking water supply centres) at hospitals, bus stands, railway station along with other places where people assemble in big number.
The cabinet asked the district administration to keep ready water available so that tankers could be dispatched to problematic villages without delay. It is decided in the cabinet that water and buttermilk should be supplied to all these villages for 34 days.
The chief minister has asked the officials to issue the GOs for the decisions taken in the cabinet by evening itself. But, the decision on the compensation to be given to the families of those who died of sunstroke has been postponed. Andhra Pradesh government, as per the existing practice, would give Rs 50,000 to the families of sunstroke victims.