New Delhi [India], October 7 (ANI): Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to immediately release Rs11,713.49 crore for the restoration of infrastructure damaged by recent floods in the state.
The Chief Minister met with Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday, where he detailed the devastation caused by heavy rains between August 31 and September 8. The floods claimed 37 lives and caused substantial loss of livestock, with over 1 lakh animals perishing. Additionally, the floods destroyed crops across 4.15 lakh acres and damaged roads, culverts, tanks, ponds, and canals throughout Telangana.
According to an official statement, the Chief Minister reminded Amit Shah that he had previously written a letter on September 2, requesting Rs5,438 crore for relief works. He informed the Union Minister that a central team visited the state and submitted a report on September 30, estimating the damage at Rs11,713 crore. The Chief Minister emphasised that the current funds were insufficient and requested the immediate release of additional resources.
“The available funds are not enough to address the damage,” the press release quoted the Chief Minister as saying.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that Rs416.80 crore had already been released to Telangana under the first and second instalments of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the financial year 2024-25. He requested that the new funds for restoration not be linked to SDRF allocations, assuring the central government that the SDRF money would be fully utilised.
During the meeting, CM Revanth Reddy also urged the reinstatement of three districts–Adilabad, Mancherial, and Kumram Bheem Asifabad–under the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) category. He highlighted Telangana’s proximity to LWE-affected states such as Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, and requested the establishment of CRPF camps in border areas for enhanced security. He further asked for the release of Rs18.31 crore, which has been pending for four years, to cover the central share of Special Police Officers (SPO) payments, and sought the relaxation of norms to allow 1,065 personnel into the SPO force.
Reddy also requested additional funds for training new police recruits in anti-extremist tactics and for strengthening police stations in the state’s border areas.
The Chief Minister also urged Amit Shah to address unresolved issues related to the bifurcation of the state. He called for efforts to resolve disputes over government buildings and corporations listed under Schedule 9 (as per Sections 53, 68, and 71 of the law) and institutional disputes under Schedule 10 (as per Section 75). The Chief Minister further sought the protection of Telangana’s rights regarding assets and institutions not explicitly mentioned in the bifurcation law but claimed by Andhra Pradesh.
Additionally, Reddy requested the allocation of 29 more IPS officers to Telangana, explaining that only 76 IPS officers were assigned to the state during bifurcation, and urged a review of the IPS cadre.
Telangana officials, including Nalgonda MP Raghavireddy, Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, and DGP Jitender, were also present at the meeting. (ANI)
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