Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a Rs 500 crore immediate financial assistance for Odisha to meet its relief and rehabilitation needs in the wake of Cyclone Yaas that battered the coastal districts of the state on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Prime Minister announced the package following an aerial survey of the havoc wreaked by Yaas in the worst-hit Balasore and Bhadrak districts even though the state government did not seek any financial assistance from the Centre to deal with the situation immediately. Modi also announced Rs 500 crore for the cyclone-triggered damages in Bengal and Jharkhand.
The Centre will send an inter-ministerial team to the cyclone-affected states, including Odisha, to assess the full-extent of the damage. Besides, an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh will be given to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the cyclone. Odisha lost three lives to Cyclone Yaas.
After reaching Bhubaneswar on Friday morning, Modi held a review meeting with the senior officials of the state government at the Biju Patnaik Airport. Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the two Union ministers hailing from Odisha, Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Sarangi were present at the meeting.
Instead of seeking immediate financial assistance to deal with the cyclone’s aftermath Odisha sought the Centre’s help in finding long term solutions to problems connected with natural disasters like cyclones.
It sought the Centre’s help in developing a disaster-resistant power infrastructure in the coastal belt vulnerable to cyclones and strengthening of saline embankments which got breached at many places this time resulting in inundation of residential areas, paddy fields and prawn culture enclosures close to the sea.
Following the meeting, Naveen tweeted, “Apprised him about the large-scale devastation caused by the cyclone and steps taken by the State Govt ahead of the cyclone and the ongoing restoration efforts. As the country is at the peak of #COVID19 pandemic, we have not sought any immediate financial assistance to burden the Central Govt and would like to manage it through our own resources to tide over the crisis.”
On the issue of assistance, Naveen tweeted, “Sought assistance for long term measures to make #Odisha disaster resilient as we are frequented by such climate hazards every year. Highlighted #Odisha’s demand for disaster resilient power infrastructure and resilient coastal protection with storm surge resilient embankments.”
Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Jena said: “We made an eight-minute long video film on the kind of havoc wreaked by Yaas. Each time during cyclone Odisha’s power structure is badly hit. Besides, the saline embankments suffer damage. Keeping this in view we sought two long term solutions — one is a disaster resilient power infrastructure and the other is disaster resilient saline embankments to ward off storm surges during cyclones.”
Saline water entered many areas in the wake of the cyclone marooning nearly 128 villages in the coastal belt of Bhadrak, Balasore and Kendrapara.
A flash flood like situation was created in Balasore district in northern Odisha also because of torrential rains that caused river Subarnarekha to swell. The water resources department has cautioned people to move away from the low-lying areas to safer places.
“The tidal surge can go up to seven to eight metres and cause havoc in areas close to the sea shore. Therefore, its time for robust planning to strengthen the 480km long coastline,” Jena said.
During the 1999 super cyclone, sea water had ingressed into land up to nearly 10km. That cyclone had caused 10,000 deaths. In the last 30 months, the state has faxed six cyclones including Phani and Amphan.
On Modi’s announcement to the state, former Union minister and former Balasore MP Sirkant Jena said, “Modi should initiate steps for completion of work on the super speciality hospital and public health schools in Balasore. Both the projects were sanctioned during the UPA regime but no progress has been made on them,” he said.
