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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday held a teleconference with about 32,000 officials, from district Collectors to field-level staff, to review the impact of Cyclone Arnab and direct relief operations. Officials told him that no loss of life had been reported so far.
According to the official release, the Chief Minister praised officials and staff for working through the night. He said the advance measures taken by the administration were the reason lives were saved, and asked them to keep working in the same spirit until the cyclone''s impact eases and normal conditions return. Collectors told the Chief Minister that rain had eased in several districts, but strong gusty winds were still blowing. Naidu asked officials to keep property damage as low as possible, restore normal conditions in affected areas quickly and reassure people that they are safe. He also held a separate review with senior officials of the Energy, Irrigation, Roads & Buildings, Agriculture, Municipal Administration & Urban Development and Panchayat Raj departments. He asked about crop damage and directed officials to prepare preliminary estimates. He also asked them to brief the Centre on the steps the state government is taking. The Chief Minister directed officials to clear trees fallen on roads within two hours and ensure that trees blocking national highways are removed in real time. He also instructed officials to restore power supply in affected areas as soon as the strong winds subside. He directed authorities to ensure that cyclone shelters are equipped with food, drinking water and medical care. People should be allowed to return home from the shelters only after the situation has fully settled. The Chief Minister instructed officials to prevent water from entering agricultural fields and protect horticulture crops from damage. He also called for firm measures to prevent breaches in tanks and canals, directing officials to monitor inflows into minor irrigation tanks, prevent them from overflowing and alert people living in nearby areas. He further emphasised coordination with water users'' associations, which manage irrigation-related matters for farmers, and directed officials to keep National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams on standby. The Chief Minister also called for the full use of Mana Mitra, the state''s WhatsApp-based governance service, to enable people to report problems. He directed officials to inform complainants once their grievances had been resolved. Additionally, he instructed officials to ensure that Swarna Grama and Ward Secretariats, the village- and ward-level government offices, remain updated at all times. (ANI)
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