Naidu orders alert as heavy rain damages 613 km roads in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday night directed district Collectors to stay fully alert on September 24 and 25, when heavy rain is expected to continue after a deep depression crossed the coast. He instructed officials to restore roads, shift residents from landslip-prone areas, clear fallen trees, maintain power supply, and set up control rooms. The Chief Minister asked them to personally visit the field and collect feedback through the Interactive Voice Response System.

The state's Roads and Buildings Minister reported that 613 km of roads were damaged across multiple districts, with 356 km in Srikakulam alone. Restoration work had begun at 37 of 78 sites with damaged drainage structures. The department set up 78 control rooms, identified 614 vulnerable locations, and kept 550 excavators and 596 power saws ready. The estimated cost of temporary repairs is Rs 26.95 crore, with permanent restoration expected to cost Rs 224.73 crore.

In Visakhapatnam, the District Collector directed officials to expedite relief and rescue operations after the district recorded 321.6 mm of cumulative rainfall from September 21 to 24. He ordered officials to focus on low-lying areas, relocate affected families to rehabilitation centres, clear fallen trees, and restore power. The GVMC reported 129 rain-related complaints, of which 117 had been resolved. The Collector advised residents to stay indoors and provided emergency contact numbers.