Cyclones caused over ₹500 crore loss to A.P. Energy Department, says Minister

Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar visits a cyclone-affected area in Santhanuthalapadu village in Prakasam district on Friday. | Photo Credit: BY ARRANGEMENT Cyclones Arnab and Murasu have caused preliminary losses of over ₹500 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Energy Department, with more than 7,500 electricity poles damaged by Cyclone Murasu alone, Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar said.He toured cyclone-affected areas in the Addanki and Santhanuthalapadu Assembly constituencies in Prakasam district on Friday. He said electricity lines, conductors and distribution transformers had suffered extensive damage and restoration work was progressing on a war footing.The Minister set a target of restoring power supply in all affected areas by Saturday evening. Power supply had been fully restored in the Godavari districts by Thursday evening, while restoration in the remaining cyclone-hit areas had reached 70% by Friday, he said.He directed officials to prioritise domestic connections, followed by agricultural and aquaculture connections. More than 3,000 electricity personnel from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana had been deployed for restoration work.Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu coordinated with his counterparts in the three States to mobilise additional manpower and equipment. Mr. Ravi Kumar interacted with electricity personnel from Ballari in Karnataka at Alavalapadu and teams from Nidamanuru.During his visit to J. Panguluru, Korisapadu and Naguluppalapadu mandals, the Minister inspected damaged mango orchards, nurseries, houses, cattle sheds and electricity infrastructure. Crops such as maize, banana, papaya, amla and mango had also suffered damage.Tobacco crops and curing barns were affected in parts of Santhanuthalapadu, Addanki and Ongole. The Minister spoke to the Prakasam District Collector and Agriculture Department officials and directed them to complete a speedy and transparent assessment of crop losses. Published - November 06, 2026 09:25 pm IST