Minister Gottipati Visits Cyclone-Hit Villages Promises Immediate Compensation to Farmers

Minister Gottipati Visits Cyclone-Hit Villages in Addanki and Parchur, Promises Immediate Compensation to Farmers

Addanki / Parchur: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar has assured that all necessary steps are being taken to provide immediate relief and compensation to farmers who suffered crop losses due to Cyclone Montha. The Minister, along with Minister Kolusu Parthasarathy and MLA Eluri Sambasiva Rao, toured several cyclone-affected areas in Parchur and Addanki constituencies to assess the extent of damage. They inspected inundated areas in Annamabathlavari Palem, Garnapudi, Thimmarajupalem, Agraharam, Parchur, and Parchur town, as well as damaged fields in Budavada, Kotapadu, and Kondamuru villages of J. Panguluru Mandal.

Minister Gottipati visited the fields to personally assess the damage caused to paddy, groundnut, brinjal, cotton, and other horticulture crops, and directed officials to complete the crop loss assessment and submit detailed reports to the government at the earliest. He said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s real-time monitoring and alertness had prevented a major disaster. “Thanks to the Chief Minister’s timely intervention, officials, ministers, and MLAs were on high alert, which helped save many lives and livelihoods,” the Minister noted. He expressed deep concern over the extensive damage to crops caused by overflowing streams and canals. Many villages and farmlands remained under water for four days, and tobacco stored by farmers for sale was soaked due to the floods, he said.

Minister Gottipati assured that the matter had been brought to the notice of the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister, and that procurement of moisture-affected tobacco would begin shortly to support the affected farmers. “We will ensure that the compensation reports are submitted immediately and that relief reaches farmers without delay,” he promised. During his visit to Addanki town’s Fourth Ward, the Minister interacted with local residents and directed officials to resolve public grievances on the spot. Expressing displeasure, he observed that failure to properly desilt drains in previous years had worsened the flooding. He noted that floodwater from upper regions such as Palnadu and Addanki flowed down to low-lying areas like Parchur and Bapatla, submerging crop fields. The Minister mentioned that several districts including Bapatla, Prakasam, Machilipatnam, and North Coastal Andhra suffered widespread damage due to the cyclone. He said that officials are visiting affected areas and preparing detailed assessment reports to ensure that compensation is distributed fairly and promptly.

He also reviewed power restoration efforts, stating that fallen trees had been cleared, broken electric poles replaced, and that domestic power supply had been fully restored across the state. Connections for agriculture, aquaculture, and other essential sectors have also been restored to a large extent by Thursday evening, he added. The Minister was accompanied by officials and local leaders during the visit.