REPORTAGE / NEWS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took an aerial tour of cyclone affected Odisha and praised CM Navin Patnaik’s efforts while West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee refused to hold a meeting with him to review the damage caused by cyclone Fani.
- Kavya Thomas | The New Leam
Cyclone Fani has caused great damage to the coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal. The cyclone has left a trail of devastation and has brought about at least 33 deaths. The United Nations has gone ahead to praise India for its ability to tackle the natural disaster and avoid casualties to the best of its abilities. The early warning systems used this time allowed for rapid evacuation and saving the lives of a million people from the deadly cyclone that impacted India’s eastern coast. What must be acknowledged is the fact that cyclone Fani was a rare tropical storm that tore into India’s eastern coast on Friday and had the potential to uproot many lives. The cyclone hit the Indian coast on Friday and after having affected the eastern states moved towards Bangladesh.
The communication channels to the affected areas were severely impacted and a large number of people could not establish connection with other parts of the state as roads were devastated, trains cancelled and telecommunication made impossible. Several rescue teams had been operating in the state and without their sustained hard work it would not have been possible to save lives and work towards the minimal destruction of property. The cyclone has also led to damages in the iconic Puri temple as the cyclone has rendered several holes in it.
The Chief Minister of the state Naveen Patnaik visited Puri twice since the cyclone struck on May 3rd and has announced relief for all the families who have been severely impacted in the cyclone. All the families are to get 50 Kg rice and Rs 2000/- cash along with polythene sheets to protect themselves.
He has also allowed assistance of Rs 95,100 for fully damaged houses. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of the state and congratulated the state for having coped with the situation so well. He praise Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and said that he had done a wonderful job. The Government of India has announced Rs 381 crore earlier and further amount of Rs 1,000 crore will be released. The central government has said that it also tried to connect with West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee and discuss about cyclone Fani but they claimed that she did not think it was necessary to speak to the PM.
The PM said that just like he took an aerial tour of Odisha he wanted to do the same for West Bengal and help out the people there but the CM of the state chose against it. The West Bengal government has refused to hold a review with the PM Narendra Modi and discuss the damage caused by cyclone Fani.
