Minister Ponguleti Praises SDRF, NDRF Personnel for Courageous Rescue Operations

SATHUPALLI ( Khammam) : Telangana Revenue, Housing and Information Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Thursday lauded the courage, dedication and presence of mind displayed by SDRF and NDRF personnel during the rescue operations at Bethupalli tank in Sathupalli mandal, where heavy inflows triggered by Cyclone Murusu created a flood emergency.

The minister praised the district collectors, police, revenue officials and personnel from various departments for their coordinated efforts in rescuing all those trapped in the floodwaters without any loss of life.

On Wednesday night, 11 people were caught in the surging floodwaters after a boat capsized during an operation to rescue fishermen stranded near Bethupalli tank. Responding immediately to the information, Khammam Collector TS Divakara, the Superintendent of Police and officials from various departments coordinated the rescue operations.

SDRF and NDRF teams worked under extremely challenging conditions and successfully brought everyone to safety, drawing appreciation from the minister.

Minister Visits Injured Rescue Personnel

Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy visited the Sathupalli Government Hospital on Thursday and enquired about the health condition of SDRF personnel undergoing treatment. He was accompanied by Sathupalli MLA Dr Matta Ragamayi, Aswaraopeta MLA Jare Adinarayana and Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem district collectors TS Divakara and Ankit.

He met RSI Murali, Head Constable Naresh and constables Venu, Balaji, Seethaiah and Kashiram of the Sixth Battalion at Chathakonda, besides fire services personnel SK Yasin Ajwal, N. Raja, Nazer Vali and Ramireddy.

Appreciating their determination and commitment, the minister said their willingness to continue rescue operations despite being caught in the floodwaters throughout the night was commendable. He felicitated the personnel with shawls and presented them with fruits.

Government Assures Support

The minister said he had informed Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy about the incident on Wednesday night. He appreciated the collective efforts of district administrations and various departments in launching rescue operations on a war footing.

He said arrangements were initially considered to airlift the stranded persons to safer locations by helicopter on Thursday morning. However, the effective coordination and timely intervention of the rescue teams made the evacuation possible without requiring helicopter assistance.

Recalling that he had spoken to those trapped in the floodwaters over the phone around 11 pm on Wednesday, Ponguleti said he had encouraged them and assured them of all possible assistance.

He assured that the government would stand by personnel who risked their lives while discharging their duties. He also promised to sanction Indiramma houses to SDRF personnel who do not own houses, irrespective of the districts they belong to.

The minister expressed his personal gratitude and thanked all officials and personnel from various departments on behalf of the state government for their courageous service during the emergency.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PV Satyanarayana

PV Satyanarayana[email protected]

P.V.Satyanarayana is a journalist with an experience of 20years. PV Satyanarayans has completed his post-graduation in MSc (Mathematics) from Allahabad University. Interested in writing *Feature Stories and political stories Hobbies: Reading Newspapers and listening to songs.

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