Central teams reach Bengal, Odisha to assess cyclone damage
(Sourced from PTI)
A seven-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which will assess the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas in West Bengal by visiting affected areas, reached Kolkata on Sunday evening, an official said. Another IMCT reached Odisha on Sunday to make an on-the-spot assessment of damages caused by the cyclone that hit the state's coast on May 26, official sources said.
The team headed by SK Shahi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, is scheduled to complete its assessment by June 9. On Monday, the IMCT will visit Digha and Mandarmani in the Purba Medinipur district, where state government officials will give a presentation on the cyclone damage. The team may also hold a meeting with the State Finance Department officials during its three-day visit.
The seven-member team headed by Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. The team includes four Odia officers, official sources said. The team is scheduled to visit Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, and Mayurbhanj districts on Monday and Tuesday to assess the damages caused by the cyclone.
The Odisha IMCT will be divided into two sub-teams and each unit will visit two districts in the next two days, a member of the central team said. Before leaving for New Delhi, the team members will hold a meeting with Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) PK Jena to talk about the allocation and distribution of the relief fund.
After undertaking an aerial survey and a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on May 28 announced Rs. 500 crore relief assistance for Odisha and a visit from the central team. The state has pegged post-cyclone damage at Rs. 610 crore. Of this, government infrastructure suffered the loss of Rs. 520 crore and private properties Rs. 90 crore.
