Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya paid tributes to the people who lost their lives in the devastating cyclone that ravaged Diviseema in 1977.
Participating in the Diviseema Uppena Samsmarana Sabha, organised virtually from Gandhi Kshetram at Avanigadda on Friday, Mr. Dattatreya recalled the sequence of events on the fateful day of November 19, 1977. Over 10,000 people and hundreds of thousands of animals were killed in the tragedy, Mr. Dattatreya recalled, and recounted the services rendered by various organisations in the aftermath of the calamity.
Some thousands of families were washed away and many children were orphaned due to the cyclone, he said, recalling the horrifying scenes in the devastated coastal villages of Avanigadda and Nagayalanka.
Many organisations including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Missionaries of Charity, Salvation Army, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and several NGOs across the world responded to the calamity and extended help to the victims, the Governor recalled.
Former Minister Mandali Buddha Prasad, who organised the memorial meeting, displayed photographs taken in the aftermath of the cyclone. Then Chief Minister Jalagam Vengala Rao, former Minister and Mr. Buddha Prasad’s father Mandali Venkata Krishna Rao, and a host of political leaders and government officials worked relentlessly to provide succour to the survivors.
Mr. Buddha Prasad recollected how many villages like Mulapalem were washed away in the high tides and how they were later rebuilt hy NGOs.
Retired IPS officer S. Veera Narayana Reddy and Dr. Samaram spoke.
