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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 6 May, conducted an aerial survey to assess the loss and destruction caused by Cyclone Fani in Odisha.
PM Modi was received by Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on his arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. Following the meeting, the prime minister said that the Centre will release an additional Rs 1,000 crore for relief work.
Meanwhile, with cyclone Fani moving away towards Bangladesh, flight operations resumed at Kolkata and Bhubaneswar airports, said ministry of civil aviation. In India, at least 34 people died after Fani made landfall on 3 May.
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A day after cyclonic storm Fani ravaged parts of Odisha, killing at least 12 people, a massive restoration and relief work has been launched on war-footing across 10,000 villages and urban areas, officials said.
The death toll due to the calamity, which stood at eight on Friday, mounted to 12 with four fresh casualties reported from Mayurbhanj district.
All the four people were killed after uprooted trees fell on them at different places in Baripada, the emergency officer of Mayurbhanj district, SK Pati, said.
Cyclone Fani poses no threat to West Bengal, as it weakens further before entering neighbouring Bangladesh, a senior official said on Saturday.
As per the forecast, there will be moderate to light rainfall, particularly in the districts adjacent to Bangladesh, but the weather condition in and around the city will normalise through the course of the day, Deputy Director General of the Regional Meteorological Centre here, Sanjib Bandyopadhyay told PTI.
Light to moderate rain is likely in the districts adjacent to Kolkata, and clear skies are expected in the city by afternoon, the official said.
At least 14 people were killed and 63 others injured as severe cyclone Fani barrelled into Bangladesh on Saturday, a day after leaving a trail of destruction in India, media reports said on Saturday.
Bangladesh authorities said that more than1.6 million people have been shifted to safer places as about 36 villages were flooded after the storm surge breached embankments in country's coastal areas.
The deaths were reported from eight districts, including Noakhali, Bhola and Lakshmipur that were among the places worst-hit by the cyclone, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The dead also included a 2-year old boy and four women.
In the aftermath of the devastation caused by severe Cyclone 'Fani', the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy has launched a massive rescue and rehabilitation effort in Odisha.
Two Maritime Recce sorties were undertaken by the Dornier aircraft of the Navy revealing widespread destruction localised around the temple town of Puri, according to an official statement.
The Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command personally undertook aerial survey of the cyclone affected area Saturday morning and visited INS Chilka to review the relief efforts, it said.
Based on the aerial surveys, the Eastern Naval Command is undertaking a three-pronged rescue and rehabilitation effort centred around Puri and its suburbs in coordination with the state government and the district administration.
The Naval Officer-in-Charge (Odisha) is centrally coordinating distribution of these relief materials and a community kitchen is being planned to be set up.
Simultaneously, three eastern fleet ships are undertaking rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
Indian Navy ships Ranvijay, Kadmatt and Airavat with three helicopters are presently operating off Puri and coordinating aerial survey and immediate response through their integral helicopters.
As the first responders, helicopters from the ships have been able to provide immediate support. In order to coordinate the relief efforts, the Eastern Naval Command has pre-positioned Liaison teams in cyclone affected areas around Puri, who in turn are directing the rescue and relief efforts being undertaken by the ships, the statement added.
As cyclone 'Fani' has moved away, flight operations resumed at Kolkata and Bhubaneswar airports on Saturday, said ministry of civil aviation.
"Flight operations to and from Bhubaneswar airport has resumed. Alliance Air flight from Ranchi is the first flight to land," tweeted the ministry on Saturday at 4.26 pm.
Kolkata airport, owned and managed by Airports Authority of India (AAI), also tweeted that flight operations have resumed.
"Air India AI 743 to Agartala is the first departure from Kolkata at 0957 hrs; G8 101 from Delhi is the first flight to land in Kolkata at around 1010 hrs," it said on Twitter.
IndiGo, which has around 44 per cent domestic passenger market share, resumed its operations to and from Bhubaneswar airport at 5.20 pm and Kolkata airport at 3.30 pm.
About the Bhubaneswar airport, which is also owned and managed by AAI, the civil aviation ministry said Saturday,"After the devastating effects of Cyclone Fani, all foreign objects and debris from the operational area have been cleaned up." On Friday, the equipment and infrastructure at the Bhubaneswar airport was considerably damaged due to the cyclone 'Fani'.
Indian Coast Guard's Disaster Relief Team and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) carry out relief operations at Birdih village, near Paradip. Several trees were uprooted in the region in the heavy rain and strong winds due to cyclone Fani yesterday.
Indian Coast Guard's Disaster Relief Team distributes relief material and food packets at Dhankia village of Odisha.
Except for damaging a few huts, cyclone Fani did not cause much havoc in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said as the severe cyclonic storm weakened Saturday morning and headed towards neighbouring Bangladesh.
While flight operations resumed at the Kolkata airport at 9.57 am, train services on the Sealdah and Howrah sections are also getting back to normal.
The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) also resumed its routine operation this morning at both Haldia and Kolkata docks. "The entire administration was awake the whole night. We were very worried about the cyclone Fani," Banerjee said.
Banerjee had cancelled her election programmes and stayed put at Kharagpur in West Midnapore district to monitor the situation arising out of the cyclone.
Cyclone Fani, which hit Odisha Friday, triggered heavy rains in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh besides uprooting 10,000 coconut trees and destroying agriculture and horticulture crops.
The cyclonic storm caused damage to the tune of Rs 58.61 crore in AP, mainly in Srikakulam district bordering Odisha, even as normalcy has almost been restored in just over 24 hours, they said.
All the 218 cellular phone towers that were damaged in the storm have been restored on Saturday morning while power supply to 659 out of 733 villages has also been restored, the State Real-Time Governance Centre said in a release.
State Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam, during a videoconference with Union Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha, said 304 houses suffered damage while there were no casualties.
Agriculture and horticulture crops in 958 acres were destroyed in Srikakulam district and over 10,000 coconut trees uprooted.
Navy Chief-designate Vice Admiral Karambir Singh today visited INS Chilka naval base in Odisha to review the situation after the Cyclone Fani.
East Coast Railway will restore 14 passenger train services on Sunday,5 May.
The Indian Air Force sent three C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to Bhubaneswar from Hindan Air Base for humanitarian aid and disaster relief, an IAF spokesperson told PTI.
The aircraft are carrying approximate 45 tonnes of relief material including medicines for the locations affected by Cyclone Fani.
"The IAF had remained on hot standby for a launch ever since the first warning about the cyclone was received. The aircraft were positioned at Hindan for a short notice take off, waiting for the restoration of landing facilities at cyclone affected airfields," the official said.
The Trinamool Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for calling West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi instead of talking to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to enquire about the ground situation in the wake of cyclone Fani, and alleged Modi doesn't respect the federal structure of the country.
"We have no problem that PM called the governor to enquire about the ground level situation. But only Chief Minister and state government officials can give him the real picture at the ground level," said a senior TMC leader.
It only reflects that the Prime Minister doesn't have any respect for the federal structure of this country. In a federal structure the PM should call the CM to enquire about the ground level situation. But just to play politics over this issue he decided not to call CM, he said.
CM Naveen Patnaik said that the condition due to cyclone Fani is bad and the government is in touch with the Centre.
"People in cyclone shelters will be provided cooked food for next 15 days and electricity and drinking water is being worked on on war footing so that it be supplied to people very soon."
"Condition is bad. PM spoke to me yesterday and we working very hard to restore communication too," Patnaik added.
Two days after Cyclone Fani hit Puri and caused damage to house and property, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “Houses completely damaged will be constructed under housing schemes. Loss of agricultural and horticultural crops and animal resources, fisheries will be assessed and compensated accordingly. Tree plantations will be taken up in mission mode soon after relief and restoration.”
National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) today reviewed relief measures in the Cyclone Fani affected areas of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh with the states and central ministries/agencies concerned.
(Source: ANI)
Indian Navy has started loading relief material on a chopper, and air-dropping food packets for people affected due to cyclone Fani in Puri, Odisha.
(Source: ANI)
Telecom and water services were partially restored in Bhubaneswar and Puri after Cyclone Fani caused extensive damage in Odisha, while work is on war footing to get back the power connections as early as possible, the officials said on Sunday.
(Source: PTI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath has announced Rs 10 crore from the CM Relief Fund for emergency relief for the Cyclone Fani victims in Odisha.
(Source: ANI)
Passengers have been waiting at the Bhubaneswar Railway Station as the train services are affected in the region due to Cyclone Fani. The Station Director says, “The tracks have been repaired. We are also running special trains along with regular trains, it will take 3-5 days for things to get normal.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 May, tried to contact the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee to discuss cyclone Fani but his calls were not returned, a top government official told PTI.
The prime minister then spoke to state governor Keshari Nath Tripathi regarding the situation in Odisha, the official added.
The death toll in Cyclone Fani rose to 29 on Sunday, two days after the "extremely severe" storm barrelled through coastal Odisha, causing widespread destruction and leaving hundreds grappling with water shortage and power cuts, an official said.
(Source: PTI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Sunday ordered release of Rs 10 crore to the Fani-ravaged Odisha towards relief and rehabilitation work.
One person was injured and a number of houses were damaged in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills districts as the cyclone Fani was passing through the area, officials said on 5 May.
Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced Rs 11 crore from the CM Relief Fund for emergency relief to Fani-ravaged Odisha.
The Indian Navy has set up relief camps and community kitchens in villages near Puri district affected due to Cyclone Fani in Odisha. Three ships using their integral helicopters are also engaged in the relief operations.
The maritime security agency has said that pre-emptive measures undertaken by the Indian Coast Guard like alerting the fisher folk and merchant marine community resulted in zero loss of life at sea during Cyclone Fani.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his government will contribute Rs 10 crore to Odisha for relief and rehabilitation measures post cyclonic storm Fani.
"Maharashtra stands firm with the people of Odisha. The state government will contribute Rs 10 crore towards the relief and rehabilitation measures in different parts of Odisha affected by cyclone Fani," he said.
The Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Trivendra Singh Rawat has announced Rs 5 crore on behalf of the state government, as relief for Odisha in the wake of Cyclone Fani.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi Sunday praised the Paschim Midnapore district administration for the "satisfactory" relief work undertaken after cyclone 'Fani' hit the state.
The death toll due to Cyclone Fani mounted to 34 in Odisha on Sunday, two days after it caused widespread damage in the coastal region and left hundreds grappling with water shortage and power cuts, an official told PTI.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday announced a financial assistance of Rs 15 crore to cyclone-battered Odisha. Odisha suffered heavy damages due to cyclone Fani.
“Helping the victims is a humanitarian need. All states should come forward and lend a helping hand to Odisha,” Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said in a statement.
He assured that AP would assist its neighbouring state by all means. He also said the Real-Time Governance Centre of AP predicted precisely where the cyclone would make landfall.
"We have constantly provided all information related to Fani to Odisha. Loss of human lives could be largely prevented because of the accurate forecasting," Naidu said.
The Northern Railway has cancelled about 287 trains passing through the East Coast Railway zone after damage to infrastructure due to Cyclone Fani, including Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express and Bhuvneswer-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, railways said on Sunday.
"These mail/express trains include those originating, ending their destinations at or passing through ECoR jurisdiction. Nine trains have been diverted, 10 have been cancelled partially and 187 local passenger, MEMU/DEMU/ EMU trains have been cancelled so far," Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.
Other trains which will remain cancelled on Monday are Anand Vihar-Bhubneswer Express, Puri-Anand Vihar Terminal Nandan Kanan Express and Puri Patna Express.
Officials said that with Puri being the worst affected due to the storm, most trains on the route will remain cancelled. Operations are unlikely to begin before 10 May.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 6 May, arrived in Odisha to take stock of the situation caused by Cyclone Fani.
PM Modi was received by Governor Ganeshi Lal, CM Naveen Patnaik and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Prime minister will review the relief and restoration work with the state government officials at the airport itself.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey to assess the loss and destruction caused by Cyclone Fani in Odisha.
Addressing the media after the assessment, PM Modi said, "Communication was very good between state and Central government. I was also monitoring the situation. The way people of Odisha complied with every instruction of government is praiseworthy.”
Addressing the media after a meeting with officials and CM Patnaik, PM Modi said that an additional Rs 1,000 crore will be released for relief work. The Central government had earlier released Rs 381 crore.
PM Modi also said that the communication between the two government was "good," and is happy the way people of Odisha complied with every instruction during Cyclone Fani.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in rally said that west Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee rejected his calls “twice,” when tried to speak on Cyclone Fani.
During the rally, PM said:
"Speedbreaker didi has tried to play politics even on Cyclone Fani. I tried to get in touch with Mamata didi but her arrogance is such that she refused to talk to me, I tried again but she did not get in touch."[sic]
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has donated a year's salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for people affected by Cyclone Fani.
(Source: ANI)