Complete Post-Cyclone Restoration Works Within Deadline, CM Tells Officials

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday directed the officials to complete the post-restoration works in four South Odisha districts of Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada and Kandhamal districts within the specified deadline.

These districts were ravaged by the very severe cyclonic storm Titli and the subsequent flood.

Presiding over a high-level review meeting on the post-cyclone restoration works at the State Secretariat here in the afternoon, the Chief Minister directed the secretaries and officials of the departments concerned to ensure the completion of all restoration works like repair of roads, supply of drinking water, re-connectivity of power and estimate of the damage in these districts within deadline.

He told these officials that the state government will send independent observers to these districts after five days.

It was revealed at the meeting that all roads under the Works department in these affected districts have been repaired while those under the Rural Development department, breaches in the canal and minor irrigation project would be completed in four to five days.

Barring some remote areas in Rayagada district, power connectivity to most part of the district had been restored. Efforts are on to restore power connectivity to all panchayats of these four districts within four days.

Apart from providing financial assistance of Rs 1000, 50 kg of rice and 2.5 litres of kerosene to each affected families as a special relief, the Chief Minister directed the officials to deposit the remaining Rs 2000 in the account of these families through the direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode at the earliest.

Among others, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi, development commissioner R Balakrishnan, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi and secretaries and senior officials of the department concerned were present at the meeting.