Nine political parties including the ruling BJD on Monday requested Governor SC Jamir to ask the Centre to release Rs 5,000 crore for the rehabilitation and restoration works in the cyclone and flood affected areas of the State.
A delegation of nine parties submitted a memorandum to the Governor and sought his intervention for declaring cyclone Phailin as a national calamity.
“The Union Government should take up major responsibility of rehabilitation and reconstruction work and send adequate assistance to the State to the tune of at least Rs 5000 crore,” said the memorandum.
BJD general secretary Narendra Swain said the Governor has assured them that he would request the Centre to take necessary action in this regard.
The leaders of the nine parties - BJD, BJP, CP I(M), CPI, Forward Block, NCP, Samajwadi Party, BSP and RPI - also proposed an amendment to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms based on which changes could be made in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Expressing dissatisfaction over the Centre’s failure to depute any senior Minister to visit the State to take stock of the losses caused by the cyclone, CPI (M) State secretary Janardan Pati said the role of the Central Government in the post-cyclone period was deplorable.
It is to be noted that the State Government, in two separate memoranda to the Centre, had demanded Rs 5832.50 crore for assistance from NDRF. But, the Centre has released only ` 1000 crore so far.
* The Union Government should undertake the major responsibility of rehabilitation and reconstruction work and send adequate assistance to the state to the tune of at least Rs 5000 crore
* the role of the Central Government in the post-cyclone period was deplorable