Titli toll 77; missing cases under lens

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Bhubaneswar: A fortnight after severe cyclonic storm Titli left a trail of devastation in 17 districts of the state, government officials Wednesday put the death toll at 77 after taking into consideration the fatalities in landslides and floods that followed cyclone.
Speaking to reporters here, Joint Commissioner of Relief Pravat Ranjan Mohapatra said “We have received reports on the death of 77 persons from various districts. Out of this, 58 deaths have been confirmed after proper enquiry. However, further investigations are underway for the remaining 19 missing cases.”
A team of senior officials including Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi along with Energy and Urban development secretaries and director (special project) of Panchayati raj department visited the cyclone-affected areas and reviewed the status of relief distribution and restoration efforts, he said.
Mohapatra said the state government has released `1295.55 crore for relief, restoration work and ex gratia to the kin of the deceased and other works so far.
Out of the sanctioned amount, `288.67 crore has been released towards gratuitous relief (GR) while `207.16 crore towards house-building assistance, `7.72 crore for utensils, `2.07 crore for compensation for livestock deaths, `63 crore for loss incurred in the fisheries sector and `1.56 crore for indemnity has been released in Gajapati and Ganjam districts, he pointed out.
Besides, ex gratia of `1.68 lakh has been released to the next of kin of 39 deceased persons in Gajapati district and three in Ganjam district. Next of kin of each deceased has been given `4 lakh from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF). The `6 lakh ex gratia announced by the Chief Minister will be paid from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) later on, said the sources.