Locusts Moving Towards MP from Maharashtra, Telangana Govt Taking Precautionary Measures: Official

The locusts swarm detected in Maharashtra is said to be heading towards Madhya Pradesh but the Telangana government is taking measures to tackle the situation in the event of the locusts entering the state, a senior official said on Friday.

The swarm is understood to have weakened considerably due to the control measures, like spraying pesticides, undertaken at various places, he told P T I.

He said measures to control the locusts are taken up in various states during the journey of locusts which weakens the swarm.

The present locusts swarm is believed to have entered into the country via Rajasthan. The swarm is reportedly moving towards MP from Ramtek in Maharashtra as per available information, he said.

The official said local teams, comprising personnel from fire, forest, police, revenue, agriculture and other departments have been formed in Adilabad, Asifabad and other districts in Telangana, bordering Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, as part of preparedness to deal with the situation.

The locusts warning centre at Jodhpur provides information, he added.

The Telangana government on Thursday said it is taking all precautions to prevent locusts from entering the state and officials have been instructed to keep pesticides ready at the state's borders with Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who held a meeting with officials and scientists on the issue of locust swarms on Thursday, said the Collectors and officials of districts bordering neighbouring Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh have been alerted.

Fire engines, jetting machines and pesticides have been kept ready as part of measures to deal with the situation, an official release said on Thursday.

A five-member committee has been appointed to supervise measures to prevent the locust swarms, which can wreck havoc in agriculture, from entering the state, it has said.

Officials informed Rao during a meeting on Thursday that the locusts werepresently said to be moving towards Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh via Bhandara and Gondia in Maharashtra.