Cyclone Titli: Odisha CM seeks early assistance

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday requested the Centre to release financial assistance immediately for repair and restoration work of areas affected by cyclonic storm ‘Titli’.

Cyclone Titli made a landfall in Odisha’s Gopalpur coast on October 11. It claimed around 70 lives while it wreaked havoc in several districts.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the Chief Minister said that the cyclonic storm followed by flood and landslides severely affected around 60.31 lakh people in 128 blocks of 17 districts.

He said that a memorandum has been sent to the Centre seeking an assistance of Rs 2023.13 crore against a requirement of Rs 2779.32 crore.

“An inter-ministerial central team made an on-spot assessment of the damage during the first week of November, 2018. However, we have not received any assistance, so far, from the government of India,” he said in the letter.

“An amount of Rs 1,689.13 crore was released for relief and restoration measures, exhausting the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Hence, assistance from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) is urgently required for replenishing the SDRF and for undertaking the balance works,” the Chief Minister said.