Gottipati Slams Jagan for ‘Red Carpet’ Cyclone Tours

Andhra Pradesh Power Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar strongly criticized former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, saying that a leader who once toured disaster-hit areas on a red carpet has no right to speak about cyclones now. He added that Jagan might be upset because there was no major loss of life this time.

Speaking about the government’s preparedness, the minister said that under CM Chandrababu Naidu’s direction, the electricity department was put on alert two days before Cyclone Montha made landfall. “Our goal was clear — not a single life should be lost,” he stated.

Nearly 1,500 staff members were deployed in the affected regions in advance. Within 24 hours of the cyclone, the damaged power network was restored. According to the minister, about 13,000 electric poles, 3,000 km of conductor lines, and 3,000 transformers were damaged.

He further said that power lines connected to agricultural and aquaculture areas would be fully restored within the next 48 hours. “In some regions, we had to shut down power temporarily due to strong winds for safety reasons,” he explained.

The minister praised the power staff for working continuously, risking their own lives to restore supply. “I wholeheartedly thank every electricity worker for their dedication and courage,” he said.