Rescue marooned: CPI to govt

Hyderabad: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has demanded that the State government extend immediate help to the victims of heavy
rains and ensure that there were no casualties.

CPI State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy and other leaders — Dr Sudhakar, Anjaneyulu, Ramulu Yadav, Srujana, Venu, Sriman, Rakesh
Singh and others - visited several areas affected due to heavy rains. They spoke to officials concerned and examined the relief works.
They also visited the Hussain Sagar ‘nala’ at Marriot Hotel and examined the works going over there.

Speaking there, Chada Venkat Reddy said that the Hussain Sagar was constructed 400 years ago to meet the drinking water needs of the
people of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. But the lake had sunk due to encroachments. Several areas in Musheerabad constituency were
inundating in rain water due to encroachments of ‘nalas’ of Hussain Sagar sluices, he said.

Expressing concern over encroachment of 4,000 tanks out of 6,000 around the City, Chada said the Hyderabad City would be washed
away if the rain lashes the city like it happened in Chennai floods. “The ‘World City’ is inundated for mere 16cm rainfall. The lives of
people stranded miserably due to these rains,” he lamented.

Alleging that the State government had failed to assess the situation, Chada said that Municipal Administration and Urban Development
Minister KT Rama Rao utterly failed in this regard. The relief works were not sufficient, he said and asked the State government to protect
‘nalas’ and tanks from encroachers whatever their political affiliation may be, by initiating stringent action against them.