Cyclone, flood losses over Rs 4,242 cr, Odisha govt tells Union Home secy

OST Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 20:

The Odisha government today claimed the property losses due to the twin calamities of Cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods that affected over 1.33 crore people across 18 districts stood at a whopping Rs 4,242.41 crore.

Officials said the initial estimate of the losses include damages to houses, power sector, roads, educational institutions, drinking water sources.

The state chief secretary JK Mohapatra presented a memorandum with a demand for a compensation amount of Rs 4,242.41 crore to the Union Home secretary Anil Goswami at the end of a review meeting attended by chief minister Naveen Patnaik and other top state government officials at the secretariat here on Sunday.

Goswami was here on a one-day Odisha visit for an on-the-spot assessment of relief work as well as the damages caused by cyclone Phailin and the resultant floods in the state.

The Union Home secretary visited the worst-affected Ganjam district along with senior state officials and spent several hours there, soon after arriving at the Biju Patnaik Airport here Sunday morning.

He however, could not visit flood affected Baleswar district due to bad weather.

Before leaving for Delhi, Goswami was all praise for the state administration for its handling of cyclone Phailin and assured the state government of the best possible Central help in the restoration, reconstruction and rehabilitation work.