After torrential rains for almost a week, there was respite for the public in Visakhapatnam and other coastal districts on Monday, a day marked by VIP visits to the rain-hit areas.

Telugu Desam leader and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited some areas near Anakapalle in Visakhapatnam districts and also parts of East Godavari district.

Union Minister of State for Tourism Chiranjeevi also visited parts of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy conducted an aerial survey and also visited Prakasam and Guntur districts.

The Chief Minister assured farmers and other affected sections that all possible help would be rendered to them and input subsidy would be given to all affected farmers. For those who had lost houses, houses would be built under Indira Awas Yojana.

He commended the people for showing great resilience in the face of a natural calamity and said the State Government would take all steps to mitigate their hardship. He said the damage to the crops would be carefully enumerated after the waters recede and the follow-up steps would be taken as quickly as possible. Each farmer affected by the rains would get input subsidy, he said.

Chiranjeevi said at Payakaraopeta in Visakhapatnam district that he would personally apprise the Union Government of the gravity of the situation and secure maximum aid.

He promised farmers that the input subsidy of Rs 10,000 per hectare would be hiked and he would also make efforts to get the loans rescheduled or waived.

Referring to TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu's charge that the State Government was indifferent to the plight of farmers and others hit by rains, Chiranjeevi said it was unfortunate that “such a senior leader is politicising the issue. It is not becoming of him. We should rise above politics at least in the face of adversity and natural calamities.” Chandrababu Naidu, who visited some of the interior areas in Visakhapatnam district, said the response of the State Government to the calamity was very poor and the administration was not geared up to meet the situation. He said his party would goad the Government into action and secure the maximum possible aid to the affected people.

On Monday also, many trains on the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada section remained cancelled, and some were diverted. The railway authorities were making efforts to get the track repaired near Elamanchili in Visakhapatnam district and normalise the traffic.

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