india

Updated: May 13, 2019 13:32 IST

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday announced that all families whose houses were completely or substantially damaged due to cyclone Fani would get a pucca house.

The government also revised the death toll to 64 with Puri accounting for 39 deaths.

As per preliminary assessment, more than 5.08 lakh houses were left damaged, partially or fully, after winds exceeding 250 kmph battered Puri and Khurda affecting 1.4 crore people in over 16,000 villages and 51 urban local bodies. Meterologists have described Fani as India’s strongest summertime cyclone in the last 43 years.

Patnaik said house damage assessment will begin from May 15 and will be completed within a week. Senior officers will be appointed to supervise the assessment process in all the extremely severely affected blocks. Assuring that not a single eligible person will be left out, Patnaik said work order distribution for construction of houses will begin from June 1.

An inter-ministerial team from Centre headed by a joint secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs would start its assessment of damages to the coastal State from May 13.

Patnaik also announced Rs 650 crore package for agriculture and horticulture, Rs 600 crore for fisheries & animal resources, Rs 100 crore for handicrafts & handlooms, Rs 200 crore for SHGs and supply.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik however slammed the government saying the package was ‘publicity stunt’. “Odisha govt has failed to provide cooked food and relief material to the Cyclone Fani affected residents,” he alleged.

Meanwhile protests over tardiness in restoration of power supply continued in the State, as a minor boy died after an electric pole fell on him in cyclone-affected Cuttack district.

Officials said people of Nuagada village under Cuttack Sadar station area were trying to erect an electric pole on their own when it fell on the minor boy leaving him critically injured. The boy was rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where he succumbed to his injuries. The boy was on a visit to his relative’s house in Nuagada village.

Protests continued in several cyclone-affected areas today as people blocked roads demanding quick restoration of power. In Samantarapur area of Bhubaneswar, the residents blocked the Bhubaneswar-Puri road asking why the government could not fulfil supply of power to all parts of the city by May 12 as promised. In Kaduapada gram panchayat of Jagatsinghpur district, people blocked Jagatsinghpur-Machhagaon road alleging non-restoration of power supply.

In Cuttack district, people of Talbasta panchayat under Banki block blocked Khurda-Talabasta road alleging lack of interest of CESU in restoring power supply.

“The villagers reinstalled the electric poles on their own while the electricity staff did not show any interest. The officials had promised us to restore electricity within 30 minutes after restoration work was completed, but we are yet to get electricity,” said a villager.

A contractual labourer in Cuttack died when the high tension power line was energised accidentally during repair.