Odisha seeks Rs 12,526 crore from Centre for cyclone 'Arnav' and flood damage
Jagrut Odisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar ·
The Odisha government has sought financial assistance of Rs 12,526 crore from the Central Government for the restoration and reconstruction of infrastructure damaged due to cyclone 'Arnav' and the subsequent floods, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said on Thursday.
The demand includes Rs 2,526 crore for initial damage restoration and Rs 10,000 crore in the mitigation account for reconstruction and strengthening of permanent infrastructure including irrigation systems, roads and embankments.
An eight-member Central Inter-Ministerial Team, which is on a visit to Odisha to assess the damage caused by cyclone and floods, attended an initial review meeting organized by SRC at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. The meeting was chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg and was attended by senior officers of various departments.
During the field visit, the central team observed extensive damage to agricultural crops and critical infrastructure including roads, electricity networks, river embankments, and irrigation canals.
The District Collector informed the Central Team that the extent of the damage is so extensive that a few more days are required to complete the complete assessment. The Central Team has advised the District Administration to conduct a house-to-house survey for an accurate and detailed assessment of the damage.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Patil said that the state government has submitted an initial memorandum to the central team based on the damage estimates received from various departments. In it, the total damage is estimated at around Rs 2,526 crore.
He said that an additional Rs 10,000 crore has been demanded in the mitigation account to adopt long-term disaster resilience measures. This includes reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and construction and strengthening of embankments in Aska and other vulnerable areas.
Patil clarified that the claim is preliminary and provisional at this time. It will be reassessed and revised after receiving detailed damage reports from all departments.
According to the SRC, Ganjam was the worst-hit of the three districts affected by the cyclone. He added that essential services like electricity, drinking water and mobile communication have been restored. However, it will take more time to repair and restore the irrigation system and some other infrastructure.
Patil said that after receiving a detailed damage assessment report from the concerned departments, the state government will submit a final and detailed memorandum to the central government within the next 10 to 12 days.