U`khand tragedy: Andhra CM reviews operations

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday directed the chief secretary and other senior bureaucrats to closely monitor and expedite operations to bring back state`s pilgrims and tourists who had gone to Uttarakhand which was ravaged by rains and flash floods.

Reddy told top officials to be in constant touch and monitor measures to bring back safely all tourists and pilgrims belonging to the state, a CMO release said. The Chief Minister took stock of relief and rescue operations launched by the state to bring home the stranded tourists and pilgrims. State ministers Danam Nagender and D Sridhar Babu, along with union minister Balaram Naik are camping in New Delhi for overseeing rescue operations and are keeping the Chief Minister updated on the situation, the release said. According to officials, 1,100 people have reached Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi and 800 others are on their way to the state, out of whom 636 people have left by train. The affected pilgrims and tourists travelling by train from New Delhi belonged to Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Anantapur, Samalkot, Rajahmundry, Ongole, Kavali, Nellore, Guntakal, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool, the release said. The state government has set up 24-hour control rooms at the state secretariat in Hyderabad, all district headquarters and at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi and Dehra Dun and Haridwar. "Food, accommodation, other facilities and round-the-clock medical check-up are being provided at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan and TTD Kalyana Mandapam in Rishikesh on the instructions of the Chief Minister," the release added. PTI