YSRCP came down heavily on the TDP coalition government for its flood relief measures, calling them insufficient to address the massive losses faced by the flood-affected people in Vijayawada and demanded to increase support for the families.
Speaking to the media at the party central office here on Wednesday, former MLA Malladi Vishnu and YSRCP Vijayawada East In-charge Devineni Avinash demanded the TDP government to increase the compensation for flood victims, provide more support for families who have lost everything, cancel electricity bills for those affected, and work with insurance companies to resolve pending claims for damaged vehicles.
They questioned the government’s failure to act despite having information about the cyclone and impending floods and why the government did not take preventive measures and questioned who should be held responsible for this mishap.
Malladi Vishnu and Devineni Avinash demanded that the aid announced by the government for flood victims in Vijayawada be significantly increased. They said the current assistance was inadequate, given the severity of the situation, where floods rose up to 9 feet and claimed over 60 lives. They highlighted that about 2.5 lakh families in 16 divisions of Vijayawada were affected, losing their belongings and essential items.
They urged the government to increase the relief amount for ground-floor houses from Rs25,000 to Rs 50,000 and to provide Rs 10,000 for first-floor houses. They also noted that around 5,000 auto workers had lost their livelihoods and suggested that the government should work with insurance companies to either provide free servicing for damaged vehicles or offer new ones. Additionally, they called for the immediate resolution of about 10,000 pending insurance claims.
Furthermore, the YSRCP leaders requested that electricity bills for those in flood-hit areas be canceled and a three-month moratorium on bank loans be implemented, along with providing Rs 2 lakh interest-free loans to the affected. Malladi Vishnu pointed out that MSMEs, including the printing, dairy, small businesses, and furniture industries, suffered severe losses, and urged the government to extend support to these sectors.
Devineni Avinash added that even after 20 days, normalcy had not returned to the flood-affected areas, accusing the government of failing to support the victims adequately. He mentioned that the YSRCP had distributed essential supplies worth Rs 1.10 crore to those affected by the floods in Vijayawada.
