A four-member central team has reached Odisha to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Fani that ravaged the state’s coastal districts on May 3rd, leaving 64 dead. The inter-ministerial team is being led by Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Vivek Bharadwaj.
The team will visit Puri tomorrow to make on-the-spot assessment in the affected areas in the Pilgrim Town. On the same day, they will meet the Puri Collector before leaving for Bhubaneswar, sources said.
The Central team will hold a meeting with senior state government officials, including Chief Secretary A.P. Padhi.
About 1,4 million trees, including thousands of coconut and mango trees, were uprooted in Puri district by the cyclone. The cyclone has also destroyed agricultural land in the coastal areas. According to the state government’s preliminary assessment, more than 30 per cent crop has been damaged in Odisha due the cyclone.
Also, more than 1,00,000 hectares of agricultural land was badly affected in 14 districts of the state.
Source: odishasuntimes.com
