UN aid likely for cyclone-hit

NEW DELHI, Nov 9 (PTI, UNI) — The United Nations is likely to sanction a grant of about Rs 220 crore for relief and rehabilitation work for cyclone-hit people of Orissa, the world body’s relief operators said here today.

A comprehensive action plan amounting to $ 50 million (equivalent to an estimated 220 crore) would be tabled at Geneva by next week, Ms Brenda McSweeney, UN Resident Coordinator, told reporters.

"Nearly one-thirds of the state’s population has been affected by the unprecedented cyclone, while seven million of others have been affected due to infrastructure damage," she said. Nearly $ 2 million had already been spent and "more was in the pipeline", she said.

Mr Pedro Medrano of the World Food Programme (WFP) said with half of its population living below poverty line and 80 per cent of them malnourished "Orissa was certainly not prepared to face this catastrophe".

The government said it was making vigorous efforts to dispose of carcasses left by the super cyclone either by burning or burying them to check spread of epidemic and environmental pollution.

An official release here said disposal of carcasses was being organised by mobilising civil defence volunteers and voluntary agencies, even as the figure of cattle death rose to 1,81,700.

It also claimed improvement in train service, traffic on the national highway and a marked improvement in power supply in Puri, Khurda, Bhubaneswar, Ranasinghpur and Cuttack.

The 132 kv Cuttack-Jagatsinghpur line was restored and allout efforts were being made to achieve maximum output in Paradip area, the release said, adding power at Paradip would be restored by November 13 or 14. "Out of 700 mw normal power load of Orissa 300 mw load has been restored", it claimed.

According to a report from Chennai, five tonnes of food articles and medicines, contributed by IAF personnel, were today airlifted from the Air Force station Tambaram to be distributed to cyclone victims.

The Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) will construct 75,000 houses for the victims of cyclone.

This was disclosed by Union Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation Minister Satya Narayan Jatia while inaugurating the HUDCO's development office at Ujjain.

Mr Jatia said these houses would cost nearly Rs 222 crore.

Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has decided to send food, clothing and roofing material worth Rs 1.4 crore for the cyclone affected people of Orissa.

The first convoy of five trucks carrying relief materials was flagged off by Union Steel Minister Dilip Ray, from Bhilai today.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of unprecedented devastation caused by the cyclone, according to its special representative in the state A.B. Tripathy.

Expressing deep sorrow and concern over loss of life and property in this catastrophic event, the NHRC, at its meeting in Delhi on November 4 decided it would like to be satisfied if the relief measures undertaken by the Centre, the state government and other state governments.

Mr Tripathy also requested the affected people to send their complaints about any inadequacy, non-availability and misappropriation of relief materials to him.

To our readers
Orissa cyclone relief: an appeal

Never has Orissa seen death, devastation and disruption of life on such a scale as the supercyclone has caused. Lush paddy fields have turned into watery graves for human beings and cattle. Everybody has lost the count of the lives lost. Efforts are on to save the starving, the marooned and the disease-hit.

It is a national calamity and the nation has to come to Orissa's aid. Next to manpower, Orissa needs money to rebuild life brick by brick. Millions of rupees are required to reconstruct the ruined huts and vanished roads; to clear the sand-filled streams and canals; and to feed those who have lost their hearth and home. The money has to come from each one of us. It has to go from one Indian to another Indian.

Remember Kargil and the spontaneous national expression of support and solidarity? India has to recapture the spirit and join the battle that the cyclone-hit people of Orissa are fighting. It is not their battle alone. The magnitude of their suffering has made it a national mission. It is a common fight — theirs, yours and ours. Nay, it is more than a fight; it is a challenge and an opportunity to reassert the ancient belief that India is one big, well-knit family and no member is ever alone in joy or sorrow.

We appeal to the readers to rise to the occasion as they did during the Kargil crisis and donate liberally. They should mail crossed cheques or bank drafts/ banker's cheques/ certified cheques payable at Bhubaneswar, favouring "The Orissa Chief Minister's Relief Fund", to the Tribune Office, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh, India. We shall forward these to the authorities concerned who will issue receipts directly to the contributors. Contributions are exempt from income tax under Section 80G of the Act.

The names of the donors contributing Rs 500 and above will be published in the Tribune group of newspapers.

Editor
The Tribune

Tribune's Kargil collection 2.80 crore
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 9 — War widows, exservicemen pensioners, school children, housewives, teachers, workers, industrialists, traders, shopkeepers, farmers, employees and students responded overwhelmingly to The Tribune's appeal for contributions to the Army Central Welfare Fund. Over 35,000 contributors made it a tremendous success by donating Rs 2.80 crore for the Kargil heroes.

The Tribune, though late in starting this fund, soon overtook other organisations and was perhaps among the select few institutions to aggregate more than Rs 2.5 crore. When The Tribune published the 44th and last list of contributors, the total stood at Rs 2,75,14,175. And then there US $ 302 also.

Even after The Tribune stopped publishing names of contributors, money continued to pour in. Cheques and drafts worth more than Rs 5.65 lakh were subsequently redirected to Army Headquarters by The Tribune group of newspapers.

Among the large number of contributors was a city school teacher who donated her entire month's salary to the fund. There were several instances when exservicemen donated their entire month's pension and in some cases, some tiny tots, in a moving gesture, contributed their pocket allowance savings as a salute to the gallant Indian soldiers.

There were several contributions when students of different educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, moved from door to door to contribute to this fund.

In an interesting instance, a sum of Rs 14,000 was contributed by members of a local women's kitty club to the fund. In yet another case, a lecturer in Hindi at DAV College at Cheeka undertook a "Kargil Sahyog Yatra" and collected more than Rs 31,500 for the Army Central Welfare Fund which he personally presented to the Editor of The Tribune.

Employees of The Tribune group donated their one day's salary to contribute more than Rs 3 lakh to this fund.