Andhra Pradesh Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday visited low-lying areas in Vijayawada and parts of Krishna and Guntur districts, which had witnessed floods over the past week.
Lashing out at the ruling YSRCP government, Naidu claimed that all gates of the Polavaram barrage were opened with 'political vendetta' to drown his residence along the banks of the river, but the water ended up drowning several low-lying areas instead.
“The Krishna flood is man-made. It could have been prevented, but the government intentionally stocked large volumes of water to flood my house on the river bank, but in the process, they flooded your houses, which is unforgivable,” Naidu told a gathering on Tuesday.
Citing the ongoing row over drones being flown over his residence during the flood, Naidu went on to say, “Even the ministers were going round my house instead of helping the flood-hit people. YSRCP has failed miserably in dealing with the situation. Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is in the United States, while people are suffering here.”
He also criticised the YSRCP government for closing down 'Anna Canteens', a scheme started by the TDP, which provided nutritious meals for Rs 5. Naidu said that the canteens would have helped the flood-hit people, if it would have remained open.
Last week, it was reported that people in 34 villages of Krishna district and 53 villages of Guntur district were affected by the floods.
Over 8,000 people were moved to 56 relief camps as water entered the villages on the banks of the swollen river following heavy discharge of flood water from the upstream reservoirs of Krishna basin.
Transportation between Vijayawada and Amaravati came to a halt as the Prakasam barrage, which connects them, was closed for traffic following rise in the water level.
According to a preliminary report, crops in over 5,511 hectares and horticulture crops in over 2,052 hectares were affected by the floods.