Hundreds feared killed

BHUBANESWAR, Oct 29 (UNI, PTI) — Several hundred persons were feared killed and over 10 million affected as the super cyclone with a velocity of more than 260 km per hour hit 10 coastal districts of Orissa for more than eight hours today.

The Orissa Government called in the Army and the Air Force to help the state carry out massive relief and rescue operations.

"You cannot imagine the devastation. The death will be not in tens but in hundreds", Chief Minister Girdhar Gamang said.

Mr Gamang spoke to Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and urged him to declare the calamity a national disaster. The Chief Minister also urged Mr Vajpayee to immediately release Rs 500 crore for carrying out rescue, relief and restoration work.

He said the affected districts had no power supply and the tele link remained cut off. He also spoke to Defence Minister George Fernandes to send in troops, Air Force helicopters and transport aircraft.

In coastal district of Midnapore in West Bengal, about 200 fishermen who had gone to the sea ignoring the cyclone warning were feared killed. "We have lost all contact with them and now fear that they are dead," a spokesman for the Digha Mohana Committee, a controlling organisation of fishermen, said.

The spokesman, however, said wireless communication could be established with 200 trawlers waiting at the deep sea for return. These trawlers were carrying about 4,000 fishermen.

Vast areas of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar were submerged following continuous rainfall since early morning.

Train services on the South Eastern Railway's Howrah-Chennai main line were severely disrupted.

NEW DELHI: The Centre is in constant touch with the Orissa and West Bengal governments and will provide all help to the two states hit by a severe cyclonic storm, Home Minister L. K. Advani told the Lok Sabha on Friday.

Sharing members’ concern about the situation in Orissa and West Bengal, Mr Advani said: "We are in constant touch with the state governments and whatever help and cooperation is needed will be given to face the calamity."

Raising the issue during zero hour, BJD member from Orissa Prabhat Samantray wanted a central team to be rushed to the affected areas of Orissa to assess the damage. Never before such a cyclonic storm had hit the state, he recalled.

CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee apprehended that the whole city of Puri in Orissa might be wiped out by the cyclone and asked the Centre to keep a close watch on the situation.

"This is a human and national tragedy and all possible help should be extended without any loss of time," he said, adding the matter should be given top priority.

Telugu Desam Party leader K. Yerrannaidu suggested that a senior Cabinet minister should be entrusted with the task of monitoring the situation and take the necessary steps. He also suggested that the armed forces should be kept on readiness to provide relief.

Congress member from West Bengal P. R. Dasmunshi urged the Centre to take immediate measures to face the calamity.

In the Rajya Sabha, the government today said it would leave no stone unturned in providing relief to the cyclone victims in Orissa.

Replying to a short duration discussion in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture S. B. P. P. K. Satyanarayanan Rao said in the wake of the cyclone hitting Cuttack and Bhubaneswar earlier today, the government had geared up its machinery to meet the challenge.

Stating that the exact quantum of relief for the cyclone relief operations in Orissa would be decided in a day or two, the minister asked the state government to rise to the occasion to meet the challenge.

He said consequent to the warning of a cyclone in the region, the National Relief Committee met in the Capital yesterday and decided to evacuate people from the cyclone-prone areas. A central team had been sent to the state, he added.

Earlier, participating in the discussion, members cutting across party affiliations, demanded immediate relief and rescue operations in the cyclone-hit regions.

BJP member Venkaiah Naidu said cyclone had become an annual feature in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh and the government should think of a permanent damage control mechanism. The state and central governments should sit together to deal with the situation, he added.

Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee wanted the government to inform the House about the latest situation in the state as there were indications that the cyclone would hit again in the day, to which the minister readily agreed.

Mr Rao said a request for relief from Andhra Pradesh was under consideration, while that of Orissa was received only yesterday. The decision of sending a team to the state was further to this, he added.

He said various steps were being taken to mitigate the calamities in all areas hit by the cyclone.

Mr Rao pointed out that the Prime Minister had visited some of the cyclone-hit areas and personally assured the victims that all steps would be taken to mitigate their sufferings.

Sanatan Bisi (JD) said the Orissa government had sent several proposals on how to face natural calamities, but no action had been taken by the Centre.

Mr Ram Deo Bhandari (RJD), raising the issue of the flood situation in Bihar, said this could be overcome only if dams were constructed on rivers originating in Nepal.

He also demanded a national policy to control floods in the country, besides sending a central team to Patna to assess the damage caused by the recent floods.