KENDRAPARA/BARIPADA: Two separate Central teams visited Kendrapara and Mayurbhanj districts to assess the damage caused by cyclone Yaas in affected areas on Tuesday.
In Kendrapara, a three-member team headed by Director of the Department of Agriculture Bipul Kumar Srivastav visited the coastal villages under Rajnagar and Rajkanika blocks and inspected the extent of damage caused by Yaas.
The team held meetings with district Collector Amrit Ruturaj and other officials at the forest guesthouse in Dangamal within Bhitarkanika National Park.
The Collector informed the team members that the district suffered loss of property worth Rs 70.1 crore in the cyclone.
Besides, crops over 277 hectare of land, 799 houses and 781 government buildings and 402 fish ponds were also damaged in the cyclone and subsequent floods. As many as 769 electricity poles were uprooted while roads measuring 293 km were damaged in the district.
The team inspected the damage to crops and houses and reviewed the progress of restoration work in cyclone-affected villages of Nalitapatia, Trilochanpur, Bharigada, Talachua and Rangani.
Rajnagar MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo said, “We requested the Central team to provide funds for building more cyclone shelters and saline embankments in the coastal pockets.”
Addressing mediapersons later on the day, the team members assured all cooperation and assistance for restoration and rebuilding measures in the affected areas.
Similarly in Mayurbhanj, a four-member team led by Joint Secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs Sunil Kumar Barnwal conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused by cyclone Yaas.
The team members held a review meeting with district officials at Baripada Circuit house and took stock of the relief and rehabilitation works in affected areas.
Later, the team accompanied by Mayurbhanj Collector Vineet Bhardwaj and SP Parmar Smit Parshottamdas visited Chuliaposi under Patpur panchayat in GB Nagar block and Dutikadeipur in Udala.
The team members also interacted with the cyclone-affected villagers. Cyclone Yaas had hit the State on May 26.