Hyderabad: With the state receiving heavy rainfall over the past few days and the weather department forecasting heavy downpour over the next three days, chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday directed the district collectors and other officials concerned to remain available and on high alert to prevent loss of lives and property.He was speaking at a high-level video conference with district collectors and senior officials at the secretariat. During the meeting, he issued a series of instructions in view of ongoing heavy rains in the state, including alerting the farmers and villagers at least three hours in advance about the heavy rainfall forecast.“Be on high alert, ensure public safety and maintain uninterrupted services. Though the state recorded 21% less rainfall since June, the last three days witnessed intense downpours, and with further heavy rain forecast, immediate preparedness at all levels is necessary. In Hyderabad alone, 150 teams have been deployed to handle emergencies, and efforts are being coordinated through the Command Control Room based on real-time weather updates,” he said.Senior police officials across all commissionerates were told to remain on the ground to manage traffic and assist the public. Collectors were instructed to maintain detailed records of damages caused by lightning, ensure compensation is paid, and take precautionary measures in ITDA regions to prevent the spread of seasonal diseases among tribal populations.Directing district collectors to regularly make surprise visits to primary health centres in villages, mandal and district-level hospitals, the chief minister said the move will ensure that doctors are available round-the-clock at PHCs and govt hospitals. He also directed the veterinary department to remain vigilant to protect livestock.“District collectors should conduct surprise inspections, and any negligence will not be tolerated. The chief secretary must submit daily reports on district collectors’ activities,” he added.On urea shortageAddressing concerns over urea supply, the chief minister assured that sufficient stocks were available and any artificial shortage being created would be dealt with strictly. “Stock details should be displayed outside fertiliser shops and uploaded online. A special complaints desk and a toll-free number must be set to lodge fertiliser-related grievances,” he said. “File cases against those creating an artificial shortage of urea and fertilisers. No one should be spared, irrespective of their position. For the govt, nothing is more important than the welfare of farmers and the poor,” the chief minister said.‘Complete distribution of new ration cards’The chief minister directed ministers, district collectors, and officials to complete the distribution of 7 lakh new ration cards between July 25 and August 10. These directions, issued during a video conference at the secretariat, triggered speculation that the schedule for the panchayat elections may be announced after Aug 10, by which the govt aims to complete ration card distribution and bring 31 lakh new beneficiaries under the fine rice scheme.
