Hyderabad: State Roads and Buildings and Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has announced that his department was fully alert and working on a war footing to restore roads damaged by heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Montha.

The Minister said that R&B roads were damaged at 334 locations, spanning nearly 230 km across the State. “Our ENC, Chief Engineers and field engineers have already been alerted to stay on high alert and take up immediate repairs to prevent any loss of life,” he said. Preliminary estimates put the cost of temporary restoration works at around Rs 7 crore and permanent reconstruction at around Rs 225 crore, he said.

Venkat Reddy expressed concern over the extensive crop losses suffered by farmers across the erstwhile Nalgonda district, where paddy and cotton fields were badly affected by unseasonal rains. “Nearly two lakh metric tonnes of paddy are lying in IKP centres. Our people’s government stands by the farmers. The Chief Minister and Civil Supplies Minister should take the initiative to procure even the rain-soaked paddy and ensure its immediate movement to rice mills,” he appealed.

The Minister also said he had met CCI Chairman Lalit Kumar Gupta in Mumbai and requested him to relax the moisture content norms in cotton procurement to safeguard the interests of Telangana farmers.

“I request the Chief Minister to pay special attention to the plight of farmers in Nalgonda district and provide necessary assistance to them,” Komatireddy said.