Sonia to visit flood-hit areas in Andhra today

All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi, along with Union home minister Shivraj Patil, will visit the flood-affected areas in Khammam and Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh tomorrow.

According to a tentative schedule, Sonia will arrive at Gannavarm airport in the morning and undertake an aerial survey of West Godavari district before reaching Amalapuram in East Godavari district, where she is expected to visit families affected by the floods.

Later, she will arrive at Bhadrachalam to assess the situation and interact with flood victims in the area. Sonia will interact with people's representatives in Hyderabad in the evening before returning to Delhi.

Meanwhile, chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said the Centre had sent six Army helicopters besides naval rescue units to the state following his request to the Prime Minister yesterday.

He said the situation in flood-affected areas was slowly returning to normalcy and that the administration had been geared up to undertake relief and rescue operations.

The chief minister today undertook an aerial survey in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts, which form the entry points of the river Godavari.