The swollen Krishna and its tributaries flooded villages and towns along their course. This became even a greater challenge for Chief Minister K Rosiah at a time when he was consolidating his hold on office, with the blessings of the Congress High Command, to prove his mettle as a veteran in steering the state out of a natural calamity. But questions remained whether the engineers and technicians at the dam sites could have acted with alacrity to minimise the impact of the colossal damage that turbulent waters foisted on the land and its hapless people.

UPA Chairperson Ms. Sonia Gandhi who made an aerial survey of the two states along with Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on October 5 assured Mr. Rosiah of as much Central assistance as possible, viewing the scale of devastation, and expressed confidence that the state would overcome the crisis 'with its best administrative machinery', reports said. Later Mr. Rosiah said the damage was estimated at over Rs.12,200 crores and he had sought an immediate assistance of Rs.6,000 crores from the Centre. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in a memorandum to Mrs.Gandhi requested her to urge the Centre to provide an interim assistance of Rs.10,000 crores for relief and rehabilitation of the flood-affected as well as restoration of infrastructure.

Despite its record of fiscal consolidation over the last five years reflected in the budgets presented by Mr. Rosiah himself, without giving up rising power and other into a fiscal crunch with the fall in revenue receipts over the last six months and has had to readjust its spending plans and enforce some austerity. Drought, and now massive flood relief and compensation to victims would put considerable burden on the state exchequer though Mr. Rosiah in his budget for 2009/10, presented in July, had left a revenue surplus but with fiscal deficit at 3.96 per cent, just below the 4 per cent limit allowed by the Centre as part of its own expansionary measures to stimulate the economy.

Over 250 lives were lost, mainly in Karnataka areas, in the floods caused by unprecedently heavy rains over a region covering five dry districts of north Karnataka as well as Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts of Andhra Pradesh while excessive inflows threatened the huge dams built across Krishna - Srisailam, Nagarjuna and Prakasam barrage near Vijayawada - all designed to tame floods, irrigate cultivable lands and generate power. The swirling waters of Tungabhadra from Karnataka submerged towns and villages in Kurnool district including the famous pilgrim centre, Mantralayam, rendering thousands homeless and lakhs helpless without food or water in a crisis for survival for which the state agencies were hardly prepared.

Both states, and Karnataka reporting more loss of lives, desperately appealed for Central help. Helicopters and boats were pressed into service to rescue marooned people and drop food supplies to the trapped humanity. Downstream, vast areas in and around Vijayawada came under the Krishna floods on October 4/5 as Prakasam barrage kept all its 70 gates open to discharge excess flows. Inter-state highways were cut off at several places and rail transportation was virtually paralysed in many sections linking Chennai to Mumbai, Bangalore to New Delhi and Hyderabad to destinations in south and west.

The two states are also up against high prices of essential articles as traders take advantage of shortages caused by disruption in the movement of commodities and damage to stored goods including foodgrains. The floods in rice belt states of Krishna and Guntur districts besides the drought-affected districts would have an adverse impact for the first time in several years for agriculturally-rich Andhra Pradesh which traditionally contributed to the central rice pool reserve after the kharif season.

Mr. Rosiah, who occupied the Chief Minister's room only on October 5, strengthening the Government with a revamp of his Cabinet. She reportedly was not happy over recent political developments in the state, which she said needed a strong and effective government. AP is currently the principal Congress bastion and Ms.Gandhi wants that it should be governed well to take the party to victory again in 2014. Mr. Rosiah is now expected to act with greater assertiveness in reconstituting his Cabinet and tackling several problems affecting the growth of the state's economy in a year of slowdown and ensure effective implementation of the welfare schemes launched by his predecessor YSR. He has also to bring state finances under better control after the recent deviation from its record of consolidation.

Several Ministers have so far not only not cooperated with Mr. Rosiah but also MLAs and some Ministers for making Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy, son of the late Chief Minister Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, as Chief Minister. For a month, this open struggle for power had split the party encouraging TDP led by Mr. Chandrababu Naidu to see the possibility of a political crisis emerging, leading to a midterm poll. The Congress had secured a majority in the recent local body elections. Mr. Naidu has reconstituted his State Committee and Politbureau but left many of leading members disappointed in filling posts.

The Congress President, whose word was keenly awaited by the supporters of Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy, MP from Kadapa, the district now renamed after the late Chief Minister, has now given the clearest indication of her support to Mr. Rosiah. Lately, supporters of Mr. Jagan were beginning to realise that they cannot have their way at any rate for the present. Mr. Jagan, whose own inclinations were disguised, reacted strongly against some of his supporters dishonoring Ms.Sonia Gandhi's pictures and wanted them to show restraint in their ways. He also urged all his supporers to cooperate in the party membership drive launched by the Pradesh Congress Chief Mr D.Srinivias which was being obstructed by his followers.

This should bring to an end the political uncertainty about governance which had prevailed for over four weeks since the tragic death of YSR and also give a signal to the opposition parties that the ruling party is well set for its full five-year term. (IPA)