Rs 720 crore for state disaster management:

Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has said a special disaster management programme with an outlay of Rs 1,487 crore will be implemented in coastal areas to mitigate loss during cyclones and other natural calamities.

Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for a high-level bridge at Modi village in Kalla mandal on Sunday, he underlined the need to focus on disaster management to mitigate loss of lives and property in coastal areas during natural calamities. As part of the special programme, Andhra Pradesh will get Rs 720 crore in the first phase, which will be completed by April 2015. Advanced technology will be used to provide information to people pertaining to cyclones and depressions for loss mitigation.

In the second phase of the programme, disaster management measures will be taken up in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala and Gujarat. The Union Territories will be covered in the third phase of the programme, the Union minister said.

National Disaster Management Authority vice-chairman Marri Sasidhar Reddy said an aircraft was procured to monitor the movement of cyclones and depressions and alert people living in the coastal districts accordingly, which helps prevent human loss.

The high-level bridge will be constructed at a cost of Rs 8.2 crore. Responding to the request of Narsapur MP Kanumuri Bapiraju, Rs 10 crore was sanctioned for construction of the bridge at Dongapindi village to develop road transportation in the area.

West Godavari district in-charge minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, tourism minister Vatti Vasantha Kumarand others were present.