Hyderabad: United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday conducted an aerial survey of Andhra Pradesh's flood-hit districts and assured all possible assistance from the Central government.
Accompanied by union Home Minister P Chidambaram and Chief Minister K Rosaiah, she flew over the worst-affected districts of Mahbubnagar and Kurnool to assess the damage caused by the inundation.
Congress general secretary and Andhra Pradesh in-charge M Veerappa Moily and state Congress president D Srinivas also accompanied Gandhi.
The Congress president who arrived from New Delhi in a special aircraft conducted the aerial survey in a helicopter.
On her return to the airport in Hyderabad, she received a memorandum from the Chief Minister, giving details of the losses due to the floods and seeking immediate Central assistance. The state government has also demanded that the Central government declare the floods a national calamity.
According to an official, Gandhi assured Rosaiah that the centre would extend all possible assistance for relief and rehabilitation. She hoped that normalcy would soon return to the affected areas. She also advised the state government to take all possible measures to prevent loss of life in Vijayawada and surrounding areas along Krishna river.
She reportedly lauded the measures taken by the Rosaiah government to deal with the situation. Gandhi later left for Bellary along with Chidambaram for an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in Karnataka.
PM expected to survey Karnataka on Tue
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is
expected to undertake an aerial survey of flood ravaged areas
in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka tomorrow, External Affairs
Minister S M Krishna said today.
Speaking to reporters here, Krishna also announced
donation of his one month's salary to the Chief Minister's
Relief Fund in the wake of the havoc caused by the torrential
rains in north Karnataka.
IANS
First Published: Tuesday, October 06, 2009, 00:42