Amaravati, 28 October (H.S.): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking the early deputation of a Central team to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab in the state and facilitate relief and rehabilitation measures.

In his letter, Naidu highlighted damage to crops, houses, roads and electricity poles due to the cyclone and urged the Centre to send assessment teams at the earliest to evaluate the extent of the destruction.

The Chief Minister said 16 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and 11 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams had been deployed across 14 districts for rescue and relief operations. More than 28,000 people had been shifted to rehabilitation centres in cyclone-affected areas. He said no loss of life had been reported so far, attributing this to the state government's advance preparedness measures.

Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari, West Godavari, Anakapalli and Krishna were among the districts severely affected by the cyclone, according to the letter.

Naidu said control rooms and the State Emergency Operations Centre were functioning round the clock to coordinate the response. The government was prioritising relief operations and the restoration of electricity and drinking water supplies in affected areas.

He said a comprehensive report on the cyclone damage would be submitted to the Centre after a detailed assessment. The Chief Minister also sought continued support from the National Disaster Response Force and other central agencies for relief and rehabilitation work.

Naidu thanked the Central Government for its continued support to Andhra Pradesh and reiterated his request for the early deployment of a Central assessment team.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar