In November 1996, N. Chandrababu Naidu visited the cyclone-hit Konaseema region to lead relief efforts. Locals still remember how he landed on a road to help them. Recently, he returned to manage the aftermath of Cyclone Arnab. A CMO official said, “We could minimise human losses to seven.”
Hyderabad: Amidst the devastation and chaos caused by Cyclone 07B (cyclones were not named in those days) in the Konaseema region of the erstwhile East Godavari district in November 1996, one man’s relentless pursuit of a quick turnaround is etched in the memories of locals.
Barely a year into his tenure as Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, who earned the reputation as a tough taskmaster and a leader who moved more among the people than being confined to his office, flew by helicopter to the cyclone-hit area. With no time to build a helipad, the copter landed on a road. Naidu reached the area before the district collector and other officials, and immediately got the local administration to launch relief operations. He stayed for a week in makeshift accommodation, winning the hearts of the people.
Three decades later, when Naidu revisited the same region with greater vigour and armed with advanced technologies to ensure relief in the aftermath of Cyclone Arnab’s destruction, the first thing people recalled was his past efforts.
Scores of locals gathered around him, showing the exact spot where his helicopter had landed three decades and fondly recalled his efforts to restore normalcy. This time too, he did not disappoint them. Roads were cleared of thousands of fallen trees and electric poles, with the administration kept on its toes for 48 hours.
“His philosophy is that man cannot stop natural calamities but can minimise, if not prevent, the loss of lives. More importantly, he believes that restoration, something victims desperately look for, can be achieved if the administration works round the clock,” Naidu’s former special secretary Balasubrahmanyam told Deccan Chronicle.
Whether it was the 1996 cyclone, the extremely severe Hudhud storm that figuratively uprooted Visakhapatnam, the Titli cyclone of October 2018 that battered Palasa, or the latest Arnab that devastated Konaseema and parts of West Godavari, Naidu consistently instilled confidence among victims by ensuring effective relief delivery.
“Prior to landfall, the CM was in constant touch not only with district collectors but also with 32,000 field staff through regular teleconferences, monitoring evacuation of people from vulnerable areas to safer places. We could minimise human losses to seven,” a CMO official said, adding that Naidu spent the last two days visiting relief camps, submerged paddy fields, and interacting with victims to assure them of compensation.
Naidu, otherwise occupied with his other passion — politics — in the midst of local body polls, left the field to focus entirely on relief operations. “He instructed us also to shift focus to relief, meet victims, and assure them of all help,” said Telugu Desam Rajya Sabha floor leader Sana Sathish Babu, who hails from cyclone-hit Kakinada.
Contrary to Opposition criticism that the Chief Minister’s visits hampered relief work, Naidu strongly believes, and results confirm, that his presence fasten road clearance to enable movement and ensures foolproof distribution of relief material.