One dead, 3 feared washed away as heavy rains lash many parts of T'gana; CM holds emergency review
Hyderabad (PTI): Heavy rains continued to lash many parts of Telangana, including Hyderabad on Sunday and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy held an emergency review with ministers, officials and elected members.
A woman died and three others were feared washed away in separate rain-related incidents in Mahabubabad and Khammam districts on Sunday.
Due to heavy rains and waterlogging over the tracks at several locations on South Central Railway (SCR) network, as many as 99 trains were cancelled and four trains were partially cancelled while 54 trains were diverted , an SCR official said.
In view of the state witnessing incessant rains, Reddy, reviewed the situation in the rain-affected areas, and spoke to ministers - Bhatti Vikramarka, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Tummala Nageshwar Rao, Damodara Raja Narasimha and Jupalli Krishna Rao over the phone and enquired about the relief operations in the submerged areas, an official release said.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar in a post on 'X' said "Informed Hon’ble Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji about the severe situation in Telangana's Khammam & that 110 villages in the district have been submerged, 9 people are stranded on Prakash Nagar hillock, 68 people on Azmeera Thanda hillock in Palair constituency, and 42 others are trapped on buildings."
Following the Home Minister's orders, nine NDRF teams, three each from Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Assam, have been dispatched to Telangana, Sanjay Kumar said.
He said he spoke with senior NDRF officials to coordinate the rescue efforts and also discussed the situation and the ongoing rescue operations with Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy.
"NDRF teams are already in action following the central govt’s directives," the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs said.
A woman died when the car she was travelling in along with her father washed away while crossing an overflowing stream in Maripeda mandal Mahabubabad district in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
They were proceeding in the car to Hyderabad to take a flight from the airport, police said, adding the vehicle was traced and the body of the woman was recovered and efforts were on to locate her father, who is still missing.
In another incident, two family members were feared washed away in flood waters after the wall of their house collapsed in Kusumanchi mandal of Khammam district and efforts were on to locate them, officials said.
In its weather warning, the Met Centre here on Sunday said very heavy to extremely heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Rajanna Sircilla, Yadadri Bhuvangiri, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Kamareddy and Mahabubnagar districts of Telangana from 1300 hours of Sunday to 0830 hours of September 2. It issued a red warning for this forecast.
The SCR official said due to incessant rains in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the past 24 hours there has been flooding and breaches in Kazipet to Vijayawada section and five trains in that section were stranded even as officials moved 15 trains via a diverted path.
The officials have started evacuation of passengers, he said, adding necessary arrangements including to make them reach their destination and food is being provided to them.
A portion of gravel under the railway track near Kesamudram in Mahabubabad district was washed away due to floodwaters, resulting in passengers on a train being stranded at Kesamudram railway station.
Following the heavy rains, rivulets were in spate in some districts and the floodwaters disrupted road links between villages.
Hyderabad also witnessed heavy rains and the continued overnight downpour led to waterlogging in many parts of the city.
Due to the forecast of heavy rains in Hyderabad district, a holiday has been declared for all Primary and Secondary Schools, under all managements (Government, Aided, and Private) on September 2, as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the children, officials said.
Moderate to heavy rains lashed many parts of Telangana on Saturday, leading to inundation of low-lying areas and disruption of road links between villages in some places.
The chief minister held teleconference with top officials and the Chief Secretary, DGP and the officials of State Municipal Administration, Energy, Panchayati Raj, HYDRAA, Irrigation departments were asked to be alert in the next 24 hours.
Reddy ordered district Collectors, SPs, Revenue, Irrigation and Municipal officials to conduct field visits in the flood-hit habitations.
Specific instructions have been issued to all officials of the important departments to cancel their leaves and join relief and rescue operations immediately in the rain ravaged districts, the release said.
The officials of the emergency wings have also been asked to send updates on heavy rains at the field level to the CMO office from time to time. The authorities have been instructed to take immediate relief measures in the flood-hit areas.
The chief minister appealed to people not to venture out of their homes unless in an emergency. Citizens living in low lying areas are advised to be more vigilant and inform the authorities over the phone in case of an emergency or any assistance required, the release said.
The CM directed the ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs to stay in their respective areas and take up relief operations.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
