Hyderabad: People flood Mee-Sevas for relief aid

Hyderabad: Hoping to get Rs 10,000 flood relief, post GHMC elections, thousands of people rushed to their nearest Mee-Seva centres. Interestingly in divisions, where BJP has won, the flood-affected raised their stakes and reportedly were optimistic of applying for Rs 25,000, the amount BJP State president, Bandi Sanjay cited while campaigning for GHMC elections.

On Monday, massive queues were seen at different Mee-Seva centers around Allwyn colony, Kukatpally, Neredmet, Balanagar and Old Malakpet, Shankarnagar, Moosarambagh, Kishanbagh, Kalapathar, Nawabsab Kunta and other areas in South Zone of GHMC. However, the service providers had tough time trying to control the crowds, as they did not have any fresh directive to take applications. Unmindful of this, some of them also resorted to dharna at centres, prompting Mee-Seva centres to down their shutters.

In some areas where BJP candidates won in the recently held GHMC elections, people started asking RS 25,000 as flood relief fund citing promise from the party during the campaigning. GHMC Commissioner D S Lokesh Kumar responding to the issue informed the denizens that GHMC teams will be touring the flood-affected areas in the city and details of the victims would be collected and after verification, the amount would be directly deposited in their accounts. The copies of the statement conveyed by Lokesh Kumar were pasted in front of various Mee-Seva centres in different areas. The message has been posted on social media so that the people would be aware and stop going to the Mee-seva for relief funds.

It is said that the people turned up at the Meeseva Centres, as December 7 was the date which Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said that the distribution of relief would be resumed (during a Public meeting at LB Stadium as part of election campaign), as SEC (State Election Commission) had directed the government to stop providing assistance in view of GHMC elections.

"Many people started coming to the service centres on Monday morning from 7 am onwards and started standing in a queue to apply for the flood relief fund. But the site was not opening, and we did not have any information from the higher officials and the same was conveyed to the people. To make things worse they started Dharna in front of the service center", said J Ganesh, Mee-Seva operator, Kukatpally. Yalla Mangamma, a resident of Balanagar said, "The ruling party said that from December 7 they would resume the distribution of flood relief fund. Now I don't have hopes that they would give money, as elections are over."

The State information technology electronics and communications department on Monday clarified that Mee-Seva services were not accepting the GHMC flood service across Hyderabad. In a circular issued by the G T Venkateshwar Rao, Commissioner ESD (MeeSeva), it is clarified that despite no service available for GHMC- flood relief public is flooding at the Meeseva centres.