CYCLONE Titli: CM Patnaik Announces Relief Package

Cyclone Title, which has caused colossal damages in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, has dampened Durgotsav in the two states and parts of West Bengal adjoining Odisha. The incessant rain has affected Bengal’s Jhargam and Paschim Medinipur districts adjoining Odisha.Titli weakened into a depression on Friday and moved towards West Bengal, leaving a trail of destruction across Andhra Pradesh and  Odisha. The death toll rose 12 with eight people in Andhra Pradesh, three in Odisha and one in Bengal as of Saturday morning. Roads in several cities of Odisha were waterlogged due to the incessant rain. In Gajapati district, which was one of the worst affected, trees were uprooted, hindering the movement of vehicles. The Indian Navy was deployed in Gopalpur and air-drop of relief material was scheduled for Saturday morning in Ganjam district, says The Indian Express.  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada districts of the state on Saturday. Following the survey, Patnaik chaired a meeting which decided monetary relief to be paid for 15 days to people affected by the cyclone and resultant flooding in Ganjam and Gajapati districts and Gunupur sub-division of Rayagada district.

“On an average a family of four will be assisted with more than Rs 3,000 as relief,” Patnaik told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

He said the relief amount will be provided at the rate of Rs 60 per adult and Rs 45 per child per day for 15 days.

The depression over Odisha has moved East-Northeastwards in the past six hours and is likely to maintain as a depression for the next 12 hours and weaken thereafter, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD). The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have rescued 1,27,262 people and sheltered them in 963 relief camps. ‘Titli’, which means butterfly in Hindi, has been categorised as a “very severe cyclonic storm”. People in five coastal districts in Odisha were  moved to safety after the storm intensified. The storm inched closer to the coast in southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh. All schools, colleges and anganwadi centres in four districts of Odisha were closed .Prime Minister  Narendra Modi  spoken to  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister  Chandra Babu Naidu and his Odisha counterpart Navin Patnaik assuring  all assistance (image courtesy to India Today)