Naidu blames Ponnala for floods

IJAYAWADA: TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu held irrigation minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah responsible for the unprecedented floods in the state and

demanded his resignation.

Speaking to media here on Monday, Naidu said the floods were man-made and not due to the nature's fury. He said water from Srisalam was not released downstream in spite of clear warnings from the Central Water Commission and added that the minister and his officials should take the blame for this tragedy.

He alleged that the government was not coming out with facts on the fiasco as every official right from the CMO to the district collector in Kurnool were responsible for the worst floods the state had witnessed. Naidu said he had not seen such worst conditions in his life. "The administration has failed to remove even the garbage and slush formed in the houses of each and every corner in Kurnool," he bemoaned.

He said the flood banks were not properly maintained as the entire money was eaten away by the contractors backed by the ruling Congress leaders. He said the ministers camped in the flood-hit districts but confined themselves to the guest houses. Naidu visited flood-hit villages in Diviseema on Monday.