Rs 423 Cr To Be Released By Evening, Affected To Get Cyclone Dana Aid In 7 Days: Odisha Min

Bhubaneswar: Around Rs 423 crore will be released in online mode by this evening to the districts affected by Cyclone Dana and subsequent floods, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari informed on Wednesday.

“The collectors have been asked to distribute the compensation amount to those affected within seven days in online mode,” he told a presser.

The departments, which incurred losses, will also receive ‘admissible’ financial assistance by evening, he said, adding that more funds will be given in subsequent phases.

“The estimated loss due to the cyclone will be revised further as the government received a report from the Water Resources Department after the last estimate. We will spend on both disaster response and disaster mitigation,” he said.

Official sources said the aid includes Rs 293 crore for reconstruction of damaged public property such as road and power infrastructure, Rs 82 crore for crop loss of farmers, Rs 9.48 crore for house damage and Rs 23 crore for funds spent on relief camps. The government also disbursed Rs 10 crore for clearing debris.

This cam a day after the Minister pegged the total damage caused in the state due to the severe cyclonic storm at Rs 616.19 crore. The cyclone, which struck the eastern coast in the early hours of October 25, triggered torrential rain and high-speed winds uprooting trees and electric poles and caused significant damage to infrastructure and crops.

Over 41.04 lakh people of 131 blocks in 14 districts – Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Khurda, and Puri – were either partially or fully affected by the cyclone and subsequent heavy rainfall and floods.

“Energy, Panchayati Raj and Rural Development departments were affected by the cyclone. Public infrastructures worth Rs 512.26 crore were damaged in the natural calamity. Total crops damaged in the cyclone has been estimated at Rs 82.92 crore. Over 3.62935 lakh hectare cultivated land were affected and crops damaged in over 1.72356 lakh hectare. More than 33 per cent crop loss will make a farmer eligible for compensation,” Pujari said.

He further stated that 16,417 houses estimated at around Rs 21.31 crore were also damaged by the cyclone. “Compensation will be provided to people, whose houses were partially or completely damaged. In the latter case, houses will be provided under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY),” he maintained.

The Mohan Majhi has spent over Rs 23.73 crore for relief and restoration measures for the cyclone, he said, adding that that compensation will provided to those affected without waiting for central assistance.

The government is likely to submit a memorandum to the Centre for financial assistance to undertake restoration measures, sources said.