300 cr sanctioned to Orissa

NEW DELHI, Nov 20 (PTI) — The Centre today sanctioned Rs 300 crore ex gratia assistance for damaged houses and for other relief operations in cyclone-ravaged Orissa.

Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha sanctioned the money soon after Orissa Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang met him and apprised him of the status of relief operations.

During the 30-minute meeting, Mr Gamang said the state government had estimated that the cyclone had damaged 17 lakh houses and Rs 340 crore was needed to provide immediate relief to the affected families.

Since some amount had already been earmarked from the earlier allocations for relief, Mr Gamang asked for Rs 300 crore for this purpose and Mr Sinha immediately extended the assistance.

"Even though the state government has significant cash balances at this point, the amount requested by the state will be released," Mr Sinha said.

Mr Sinha also said the Centre was committed to assist the people of Orissa and the state government in this moment of crisis.

Mr Gamang said appropriate mechanism would be created to ensure that the funds being provided for relief assistance were spent speedily.

Asked about the demand for declaring the devastation caused by the super cyclone of October 29 as a national calamity, the Chief Minister said this was the unanimous view of an all-party meeting held in the state.

He said the necessary measures, including amendments in the relief codes should be taken so that disasters of such severity could be declared as a national calamity.

Meanwhile, a report from Bhubaneswar said the assistance of the armed forces, deployed for relief and restoration operations in five of the cyclone-hit coastal districts of Orissa, was de-requisitioned in three districts today by the state government following an improvement in the situation, official sources said.

The armed forces were being withdrawn from Puri, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts, they said.

The army units in the worst-hit Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts would, however, continue as also the army medical units wherever they were located, the sources said.

Air-dropping of food packets had also been stopped following the restoration of road communication to all places.

The death toll in the cyclone rose to 9,619 with two deaths each reported from Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts, they said.

The casualty figure for the worst-affected Jagatsinghpur district continued to be at 8,119.

In another development, state-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO) has extended loan support of Rs 487.5 crore for the construction of 1,35,000 houses in the cyclone-ravaged Orissa.

This includes Rs 300 crore extended to Orissa for house building advance for 60,000 state government employees in the areas ripped apart by the October 29 super cyclone, a HUDCO note said here today.

The corporation had already approved Rs 187.5 crore as soft loan assistance for the construction of 75,000 houses in the 12 cyclone-affected districts of the state, the note said.

Besides, HUDCO had decided to support five special building centres for cyclone-resistant house construction by providing Rs 75 lakh for the purpose.

The corporation would also adopt four villages under its "adarsh gram" scheme and would provide grant-in-aid assistance to the tune of Rs 140 lakh for the purpose, the note added.

For flood-hit West Bengal, HUDCO approved the line of credit to the tune of Rs 800 crore for taking up the restoration of damaged infrastructure and would undertake housing, drainage and road projects, the note said.

The line of credit would be extended to West Bengal Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, it added.

Of the amount, Rs 400 crore would be used for drainage and embankment projects, Rs 350 crore for roads and the remaining Rs 50 crore for the reconstruction and repair of houses for economically weaker sections, it said.

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 Income Tax Act.

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

Editor
The Tribune