Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka directed district collectors to use State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and Treasury (TR) 27 funds for cyclone relief. He assured that financial issues would not delay any urgent work.
Speaking from Praja Bhavan on Thursday, Bhatti asked officials to complete spending and get it ratified within 30 days. He also told them to stay alert for the next 24 hours and strictly follow the cyclone manual.
He credited Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Cabinet for issuing early warnings. The alert, issued 48 hours in advance, helped save lives and prevent large-scale damage. The cyclone entered Telangana via Krishna district, passed through Nalgonda and Khammam, and severely affected North Telangana.
Bhatti praised officials for moving cotton produce to warehouses and covering it with tarpaulin before the storm. He also appreciated Electricity Department staff for acting quickly to avoid major power cuts.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy shared updates on power restoration. Of the 11 damaged 33/11 kV substations, teams had fixed seven. He said the rest would be repaired within hours. Of 101 damaged 33 kV lines, workers had restored 96. The remaining five were set to be repaired by the end of the day.
Crews also fixed 227 of 237 affected 11 kV lines. Out of 171 damaged Distribution Transformers (DTRs), they had restored 49. Repairs were ongoing for the rest. Workers had replaced 304 of 638 broken electricity poles and continued work on the others.