Mantralayam reels under floods

Kurnool, Oct 2: Mantralayam, the abode of Sri Raghavendra Swami, located on the banks of Tungabhadra on Andhra Pradesh-Karnataka border, was cut of from the rest of the State as Tungabhadra water entered the premises of temple following heavy rains in catchment areas.Hundreds of pilgrims and the Peethadhipathi Sri Sushmeendra Swamiji and the Mantralayam MLA Y Bala Nagi Reddy and his family were among those taking on the first floor of various buildings as the temple town was under six feet of water. Two helicopters have been despatched to Mantralayam to take up rescue and relief operations in the flood hit areas.Several localities in Kurnool city were under several feet of water forcing the authorities to evacuate the residents to safer places.The city was reeling under floods from the Handri and Tungabhadra rivers.

Following directions from the Chief Minister, Agriculture Minister N Raghuveera Reddy, who was in Anantapur, was rushed to Kurnool to supervise rescue and relief operations.Thousands of people were marooned in nearly 30 villages in Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts as the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers received unprecedented inflows in the wake of heavy rains in catchment areas.As the situation in these two districts turned grim, the Army was called in to undertake relief and rescue operations.Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao told reporters after Chief Minister K Rosaiah reviewed the situation at a high-level meeting with officials that this was one of the worst-ever floods in the Krishna in the last 100 years.