'Declaration of national calamity in AP won't make difference'

Marri Shashidhar Reddy, former vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, today said the demand that the cyclone Hudhud be declared as a national calamity was meaningless, as there was no such provision in the Disaster Management Act.
Further, he said, classifying it as a national calamity would not get the state any extra help, and the Centre had always come to the aid of the states during such situations.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had demanded yesterday that Hudhud be declared a national calamity.
In a statement here, Reddy noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit here yesterday, announced aid of Rs 1,000 crore.

"There is nothing termed as 'national calamity' either in the Disaster Management Act, 2005, or in any other disaster management-related notification or rule or guidelines, nor would any benefit accrue if it is so declared," Reddy said.
The apprehension that in the absence of such a declaration the state would not receive necessary aid from the Centre was baseless, he added.
"As a person with the knowledge of how the Government of India has always come to the rescue of the states in the past with adequate financial assistance whenever disasters struck, the present government at the Centre can also be expected to come to the rescue of the AP government with adequate funding under different programmes and schemes," Reddy said.