Central teams assess cyclone Arnab damage in East Godavari, Konaseema as Naidu seeks ₹4,600 crore in relief

A Central team led by Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Chittaranjan Das inspecting banana crops damaged by cyclone Arnab at Ambajipeta in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district on Saturday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT Two Inter-Ministerial Central teams deputed by the Centre on Saturday inspected cyclone Arnab-hit areas along the Godavari river in East Godavari district and coastal pockets of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district to assess damage to crops, habitations, public infrastructure and fishing communities. A Central team led by Kollu Rekharani of the Central Water Commission inspecting crops damaged by cyclone Arnab in East Godavari district on Saturday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT In his appeal to the Centre, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had estimated the damage caused by cyclone Arnab at ₹4,600 crore. The cyclone made landfall near Odalarevu on October 29.In Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, the team led by Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Chittaranjan Das included officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Power, and A.P. State Disaster Management Authority Director Prakhar Jain. The team assessed damage to paddy crops in Ravulapalem, banana and coconut plantations in Ambajipeta, houses in Sakhinetipalli and fishing boats at the Antarvedi fish landing centre.In East Godavari district, another team, led by Central Water Commission official Kollu Rekharani and Deputy Secretary in the Union Ministry of Rural Development Alok Jawahar, inspected damaged banana, papaya and paddy crops along the Godavari river near Dommeru village in Kovvur mandal.The team members later interacted with farmers in Mandapeta and Kapileswarapuram mandals and enquired about the impact of the cyclone on crop productivity and the survival of damaged plants. The team also included National Remote Sensing Centre scientist S.V.S.P. Sarma and officials from the Central Water Commission.In West Godavari district, damage to paddy across more than 1.80 lakh acres and horticulture crops in over 2,500 acres was recorded during the ongoing crop damage enumeration. Aquaculture ponds spread across 4,670 acres were also affected. At least 460 fishing boats were damaged along the Narsapuram coast, while 12,000 houses suffered partial damage.In Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, 1,792 thatched houses were partially damaged. Crop losses were reported across 1.18 lakh acres of paddy and 10,767 hectares of horticulture crops. Banana plantations alone suffered damage across nearly 8,000 hectares. As many as 73,500 coconut trees were uprooted, and compensation of ₹1,500 will be paid for each damaged tree. Published - October 31, 2026 08:23 pm IST