Even as control rooms will soon be set up in all taluk centres for attending to waterlogging and other rain-related emergencies, Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra has told the district and taluk officials to be prepared to handle the exigencies resulting from heavy rains and warned of lodging FIRs against officials who are indifferent to their work and responsibilities during the season.
While asking officials to gear up for handling emergencies and supporting the people in need of assistance, the Deputy Commissioner told the officials that they were working in the district from where the Chief Minister belonged to and everyone needs to be more careful and responsible while discharging their duties.
At a meeting convened to discuss measures to be taken ahead of monsoon here on Tuesday, Mr. Rajendra said the places that witnessed problems during monsoon last year need to be identified and accordingly, steps have to be taken. In case of floods and other emergencies, the people in distress need to be shifted to the relief centres, he said, adding that hanging tree branches need to be pruned, tilting electric poles need to set right or replaced with new ones, waterlogging on roads should be prevented and preventing damage from dilapidated structures and decrepit school buildings.
The Deputy Commissioner asked the officials to take measures for opening control rooms in taluks and reach out relief to the next kin in the event of any deaths in rain-related incidents. The control room has to work 24x7 and the relief must reach the needy within 48 hours, Mr. Rajendra told the meeting.
The DC directed the taluk officials to activate the taluk disaster management committees for planning measures.
Mr. Rajendra said the officials concerned must inspect the lakes and check the safety of bunds. In case of any leakage, it needs to be immediately attended to and also ensure that the houses in the low-lying areas around the lakes do not face any issues during monsoon.
While stating that there was no dearth of funds for releasing relief to farmers in the case of crop losses, he said the affected farmers must be properly and immediately compensated for the loss incurred by them due to rains and relief has to be disbursed after the joint survey.
He said the department of fire and emergencies services must keep its men and machinery ready for operations. Boats, expert swimmers and necessary equipment need to be kept ready for attending to the operations. People must also be properly educated on precautions to be taken during lighting.
MCC Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy said the problems that were faced during rains in six wards out of 65 here had been resolved.
