Ongole: Social Welfare Minister Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneyaswamy directed officials to take all necessary precautions to prevent loss of life, livestock, and property due to heavy rainfall. On Thursday, the minister reviewed the situation in the district with Collector P Raja Babu, Joint Collector R Gopala Krishna, and senior officials through video conferencing with field officers.

Speaking to the media, the minister confirmed no casualties had occurred due to prompt administrative action. He instructed officials to maintain maximum vigilance until rainfall subsides. The District Panchayat Officer and Ongole Municipal Commissioner were ordered to deploy sanitation staff in full force to prevent hygiene issues.

The minister directed the officials to immediately remove fallen trees, restore power supply disruptions, continuously patrol near overflowing streams by revenue and police personnel, implement strict chlorination protocols for drinking water, clear stagnant water from Anganwadi centres and schools, and divert rainwater systematically to tanks. The minister ordered regular crop loss reports and warned shepherds against venturing near streams. He instructed the fishermen to avoid the sea and follow the directions of officials for emergency evacuations.

He confirmed that district machinery was fully prepared, with command-and-control centres at the divisional and mandal levels. Rehabilitation centres, medicines, and ration supplies were kept ready. Later, the collector and the JC visited Chadalavada village in Naguluppalapadu mandal and inspected the damaged embankment of Ramanna Cheruvu.

The collector instructed the officials of the National Highway Authority of India and Irrigation Department engineers to immediately redirect water through the side canal to prevent overflow onto the Ongole-Chirala national highway. He also ordered the removal of stagnant water and proper drainage toward the Gundlakamma stream. He assured the locals that measures would be taken to strengthen the embankment and resolve the recurring problems during heavy rains.