As Odisha wrestles with the aftermath of severe cyclonic storm Fani, a host of central public sector enterprises continue to pour in aid in the form of financial contributions and materials to rebuild the ravaged state. Companies such as NLCIL, SAIL, IOCL, NTPC, NALCO have all extended relief to the state which hosts several coal mines, power plants, aluminium units, and a large oil refinery.
State-run NLC India Limited contributed Rs 2 crore towards Odisha Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund, which is aimed at providing relief to people in disaster-hit areas. Indian Oil, too, has contributed Rs 5 crore to support the restoration works of the iconic Jagannath Temple at Puri. The company also rushed five mobile dispensing units from Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to Odisha to aid emergency fuelling and has assured an adequate stock of petroleum products such as petrol, diesel, LPG, Kerosene and aviation fuel in the affected areas.
As per the directions of the Ministry of Steel to ensure all-out efforts to meet the requirements of the state government, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) also acted quickly. The steel major moved the first consignment of 500 electric poles to the disaster-affected areas which reached the sites at 3 am on May 5. Another consignment of 5,000 poles have already been moved directly to the affected areas. The company said it will move a total of 15,000 such poles to the state in a time-bound manner. “SAIL is mobilising all resources from various locations of the country to move the electric poles to the affected areas on an urgent basis to restore electricity,” the company said in a statement. Nearly 10 million people across districts are grappling with disruptions in power, water supply and telecommunication services.
In coordination with the Director Health Services, state-run NTPC also chipped in and set up medical camps at two locations in Puri (Penthakata and Chandrabhaga). A team comprising six doctors and five paramedics attended to over 250 people that visited the camps on the afternoon of May 6. Another 350-odd people are actively working with the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) of Odisha to aid in restoration work.
Nalco has taken up relief and restoration work immediately after the cyclone by deploying seven teams, consisting of electricians, plumbers, wood cutters with electric saws, generators and relief materials.
“Each team consists of 17-20 personnel. Nalco also provided relief materials consisting of sarees, towel, rice, dal, salt, sugar, jaggery, biscuit, milk and fruits. On May 4, the company distributed relief in the slum areas of Patia. Top management of Nalco, including CMD & Director (HR) have been personally organising the relief operations and restoration work,” the company said in a statement.
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has also informed the Special Relief Commissioner (Odisha) that all contributions from corporate houses to the OSDMA will be treated as corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity.