Bhubaneswar: Various government departments engaged in assessment of damage caused by cyclonic storm Fani, that hit Odisha coast May 3, have put the total losses at Rs 6643.63 crore and sought Rs 2692.63 crore for relief measures for the affected people.
According to Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi, the total loss of public properties and requirement of fund for relief have been estimated to be Rs 9336 crore.
However, as per norms of assistance under State Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Response fund, Rs 5227.68 crore is required for taking up relief and restoration measures.
“We are seeking an aid of Rs 5227.68 crore from NDRF to meet the expenditure needed for the ongoing relief and restoration measures,” the SRC said.
As of now, the state government has released Rs 1357.14 crore to cyclone-hit districts and departments towards disaster response.
In its preliminary damage assessment report, the government had estimated a loss of Rs 11,942.62 crore and submitted the same to the Central team which visited Odisha between May 12 and May 15.
The loss was assessed by various teams constituted by the respective district collectors, Sethi said, adding 20,367 villages in 14 affected districts were surveyed for assessment. The cyclone affected at least 1.6 crore people and crop in over 1.88 lakh hectare.
Altogether 5,56,761 houses were either severely or partially damaged in the cyclone. The total death toll due to Fani was put at 64 people while 12 others received grievous injuries. Besides, 2650 large animals, 3631 small animals and 53,26,905 poultry birds have perished in the calamity, the SRC added.
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