Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has sought Rs 12,526 crore in central assistance for restoration and reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Arnab and subsequent floods, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said on Thursday.
The demand comprises Rs 2,526 crore towards preliminary damage compensation and Rs 10,000 crore under the mitigation head for rebuilding and strengthening permanent infrastructure, including irrigation facilities, roads and river embankments.
An eight-member Central Inter-Ministerial Team, visiting the state to assess cyclone and flood damage, attended a preliminary assessment meeting convened by the SRC at Lok Seva Bhavan here. The meeting was chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg and attended by senior departmental officials.
During field inspections, the central team found extensive damage to agricultural crops and critical infrastructure, including roads, electricity networks, river embankments and irrigation canals.
District Collectors informed the team that the scale of destruction necessitated a few more days to complete a comprehensive assessment. The central team advised the district administrations to undertake door-to-door surveys to ensure a detailed assessment of losses.
Speaking after the meeting, Patil said the state government had submitted a preliminary memorandum to the central team based on damage estimates received from various departments, which put the losses at around Rs 2,526 crore.
The additional demand of Rs 10,000 crore under the mitigation component is intended for long-term disaster resilience measures, including reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and construction of river embankments in Aska and other vulnerable locations, he said.
Patil clarified that the demand was provisional and would be revised after receiving detailed damage reports from all departments.
Ganjam was the worst-affected among the three districts primarily impacted by the cyclone, the SRC said, adding that essential services such as electricity, drinking water and mobile connectivity had been restored. However, the restoration of irrigation systems and some other infrastructure would take more time.
The state government will submit a comprehensive final memorandum to the Centre within 10 to 12 days after receiving detailed assessments from the concerned departments, Patil added.
