Odisha pegs Fani loss at Rs 12000 cr, seeks relaxation of norms

Seeking a relaxation in disaster assistance norms the Odisha government Wednesday estimated a tentative loss of Rs 12000 crore due to cyclone Fani that killed at least 64 people and damaged more than 5 lakh dwelling units in the states coastal districtsThe state government which has launched a massive restoration work in the cycloneravaged areas in a preliminary report to a visiting interministerial team said an initial assessment has put the overall loss at approximately Rs 12000 croreWhile the loss to public properties was to the tune of Rs 5175 crore expenditure towards relief and response stands at Rs 676756 crore the report said We have submitted a tentative loss figure to the central team This amount may increase as the officials will undertake doortodoor survey to access the actual loss caused by the cyclone The government will prepare a full report on the loss after the completion of the detailed survey Special Relief Commissioner SRC B P Sethi saidIn its preliminary report the state government has estimated the highest loss in the power sector at Rs 1160 crore while the loss in the Panchayati raj and the drinking water department stands at Rs 587 croreThe loss shown in the preliminary report is purely tentative It will go up as we get a detailed report Chief Secretary A P Padhi said after a meeting with the central team which wrapped up its threeday visit to the cyclonehit areasStating that there have been huge losses to public and private infrastructure in the calamity Padhi said We have urged the central team to consider revising the norms of the NDRF and the SDRF so that the loss in the power sector can be coveredPadhi said while the NDRF and SDRF norms include assistance for loss due to the damage of 220 KV 132 KV 33 KV 11 KV and low tension power supply there was no provision for losses in the high tension HT power supplyAs many as 75 towers have been uprooted by the highvelocity winds in Puri district alone and a huge investment is required to make them operational Vivek Bharadwaj Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry who is heading the team said There has been massive destruction to houses hotels and livelihood means of the affected people Puri has been severely hit in the cycloneNoting that the central government has been assisting the cycloneravaged state and will continue to do so in restoration and rehabilitation works Bharadwaj said there is a need to further strengthen the MGNREGA scheme in order to provide livelihood means to the affected peopleHe said there has been a substantial loss to betel vines and coconut plantations Keeping in view the gravity of the devastation the Odisha governments action in providing relief and other assistance to the affected people is praiseworthy Bharadwaj said adding that people have been provided with relief immediately after the cycloneThe people have been given rice cash and tarpaulin sheets he said The 11member central team visited some of the worstaffected areas in Puri Khurda and Cuttack districts besides the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation BMC region during its visitWeeks after cyclone Fani hit areas of Odisha West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh the members of the Animal Welfare Trust Ekamra in Odisha urged people to help in rebuilding the animal shelter in the statePurabi Patra who is the founder of the Animal Welfare Trust Ekamra along with five other volunteers had survived the wrath of cyclone Fani on May 3 after the asbestos of their animal shelter situated on the outskirts of Bhubaneshwar was blown away by strong windsTop News Stories Of The DayMumbai Crime Man rapes critical patients HIV sister on Sion Hospital roofRising carrom star Janhavi More run over by speeding truck in DombivliBMC to put Marine Drive under the radarMumbai Cops fight accuseds lies with biometric systemNew BMC chief Pravin Pardeshi tackles rain road and revenue on Day 1Sit on a machaan and spot animals all night at Sanjay Gandhi National ParkPMs proposer spells out her dreams for VaranasiMumbai Turf Club calls for meeting on consent terms for GallopsElections 2019 Milind Deoras Jain comment violative says ECMumbai Government officer jumps from 30th floor of World Trade CentreMumbai Crime Cops crack down on online escort services arrest twoIts final Jaslok Trust will continue to run hospital says CEOA walk through Mohammed Ali Roads Khau GalliExpensive things Mukesh Ambani spends onCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get the latest updatesEdited by midday online desk with inputs from Agencies