HC seeks comprehensive report on flood relief measures

Government does not have a disaster management plan, a petitioner took to the notice of the High Court

Telangana High Court on Friday directed the State government to file a comprehensive report on the relief measures undertaken for the families affected by recent heavy rains and floods across the State. 

A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T. Vinod Kumar passed this direction after hearing an interim application in a PIL petition filed by Cheruku Sudhakar over the floods in 2020. The bench wanted the government to give detailed information about the rescue operations and what further relief measures were yet to be taken. 

The bench directed the government to furnish information about the evacuation of people from areas being affected by floods and shifting of people to safer places and shelter zones. What were the government’s plans to pay ex-gratia to the families of those who had lost lives in the floods. 

The HC sought to know details of the persons who lost lives and if any war room was created to oversee the rescue operations and assess the losses due to the floods and heavy rains. The petitioner’s counsel Chikkudu Prabhakar informed the HC that Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Peddpalli, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Warangal were badly affected due to the incessant downpours resulting in flash floods along Godavari river catchment area. 

People were suffering during floods every time since the government had no disaster management plan, he said. It was mandatory to have such a plan under Disaster Management Act-2005, yet the government never acted on it, he contended. “So far 19 lives are feared lost during current floods,” Mr. Prabhakar said. 

He requested the court to instruct the government to provide minimum standard relief to the flood-affected families from the funds of State and National Disaster Response Funds. Mr. Prabhakar said there was a possible threat to Kaddam project as water was being released from Sreeramsagar project in large volumes. The State was duty-bound to take all precautions as per Dam Safety Act, he said. 

The matter was posted to Monday for next hearing.