Officials told to be ready with summer protection measures

Kakinada : District In-charge Minister and Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana has instructed Kakinada district officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan to safeguard the public from heat wave and drinking water scarcity during the upcoming summer.

Chairing a district review meeting on Friday, Minister Narayana emphasised the need to implement stringent measures to prevent any loss of life due to extreme heat. He reviewed the presentation given by the District Collector during a recent meeting chaired by the Chief Minister in Amaravati, which focused on the development of the Kakinada district. The Minister also reviewed the implementation of the suggestions and directives issued by the Chief Minister.

As part of the Chief Minister’s directives, Minister Narayana told the officials to make necessary arrangements to install 2-kw solar rooftop units under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana on 10,000 houses across each constituency in Kakinada district. So far, the district has received 5,086 applications, and 890 units with a capacity of 3,230 kilowatts have been installed, he added.

District Collector Shanmohan informed the meeting that temporary water shelters (Chalivendrams) have been set up in rural and urban areas to provide relief from the heat, 463 in rural areas and 17 in urban areas while efforts are underway to establish more with donor support.

To address drinking water scarcity, the Collector stated that an action plan has been prepared with an allocation of Rs 12.82 lakh for rural areas and Rs 1.72 crore for urban areas. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, approvals have been given for the construction of 1,484 individual household toilets, of which 420 have been completed.

To reduce costs and labour in agriculture, drone pilot training has been provided to 30 individuals in the district, officials informed the Minister. A workshop will soon be conducted to gather feedback from farmers who have availed of drone services, which will help in formulating the next phase of action.

The district administration is also taking steps to ensure the production of 2.5 million tonnes of fodder to meet the needs of 3.5 lakh cattle in the district.

Fisheries department officials informed that 12,477 acres of aqua ponds have been registered for electricity subsidy, with registration for another 10,577 acres still pending.

Additionally, the Collector stated that renovation works worth Rs 16.87 crore are underway in 52 welfare hostels using government and CSR funds. He also requested funding for the modernisation of Yeleru and PBC canals, for which a detailed project report (DPR) has been submitted at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

People’s representatives raised concerns over the alleged misuse of Rs 582 crore in the Jayalakshmi MACS Society, which affected 20,000 families. They urged the Minister to ensure speedy justice in the matter.

The review meeting was attended by MLC Karri Padmashri, MLAs Nimmakayala Chinarajappa, Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao, Pantam Venkateswara Rao, KUDA chairman Tummala Ramaswamy and Kakinada Municipal Commissioner Bhavana.