Bhubaneswar: The central team visiting Odisha to assess the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Arnab and subsequent floods met Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Lok Seva Bhawan today and held discussions in this regard.
The team, led by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Ravi Shankar, has visited Ganjam and Gajapati districts and assessed the damage.
During the discussion, the Chief Minister said that natural calamities like floods, cyclones and heatwaves frequently occur in the state. This hampers development work. Therefore, he suggested that the central team should focus not only on immediate relief and reconstruction assistance in its report, but also on permanent solutions.
The Chief Minister said that cyclone and flood-resilient infrastructure is highly needed in the state. This will provide a permanent solution to the people of Odisha and accelerate development instead of hindering it.
Team head Ravi Shankar said they visited various areas of Ganjam and Gajapati districts. In reality, the floods have had a widespread impact on the common people. In Ganjam, water from the Rushikulya river has inundated many areas, causing sand deposits. Sand has entered farmlands, roads, houses and offices. In many places, although houses have not collapsed, they have become weak.
He said there is a need to desilt the Rushikulya river on a long-term basis. He said it will take 7-8 days to make a complete assessment of the damage caused by this widespread disaster.
Appreciating the state government, Ravi Shankar said the Odisha government has carried out relief and restoration work at a fast pace after the cyclone and flood. He said roads have mostly been made motorable and power supply has been restored.
In the meeting, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari highlighted the damage and the government’s response measures. Chief Secretary Anu Garg said that the state government has made a preliminary assessment of the damage and submitted a demand letter to the central government for relief and restoration.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Saswata Mishra, Additional Chief Secretary of Revenue and Disaster Management Department Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil and members of the central team.
