 "Mamata Banerjee")
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday conducted an aerial survey of cyclone-hit areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts, and directed officials to ensure that all people affected by the calamity get relief materials.
She also inspected the beach area in the sea resort town of Digha in Purba Medinipur district which has been badly damaged by Cyclone Yaas and storm surge on Wednesday.
The chief minister also held administrative review meetings with officials of districts affected by the cyclone.
"I do not want any of the affected people to be deprived of relief materials. Give them what they are supposed to get. Help them heartily and do not be a miser in this respect," Banerjee told officials at such a meeting in Hingalganj in North 24 Parganas district.
The state government also issued notification of the 'Duare Tran' (Relief at Doorstep) scheme for the cyclone affected people.
Accompanied by Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, she took stock of the post-cyclone situation in Hingalganj, Bhangar, Hasnabad, Sandeshkhali, Minakha in North 24 Parganas.
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Later, the chief minister also held aerial survey of Sagar, Namkhana and Patharpratima in South 24 Parganas before flying to Digha where she conducted a thorough survey of the beach and held another meeting.
The district magistrate, the superintendent of police, block development officers and representatives of several departments were present at the virtual meeting.
"I have seen that most of the areas have been inundated. Houses and large tracts of agricultural fields are under water. A field survey will also be conducted. The estimation of the loss will go up if a field survey is done," Banerjee said.
She met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Kalaikunda airbase and submitted a report to him on the damages caused by the cyclone in the state, and sought a Rs 20,000 crore package for redevelopment of the worst-affected areas.
At the administrative meetings, Banerjee questioned the officials why bridges, embankments, roads built soon after last year's Cyclone Amphan got damaged during Yaas.
She also directed the officials to find out a permanent solution to tackle cyclone related issues.
The CM asked them to plant five crore mangrove saplings in South 24 Parganas district as well as in Digha to reduce the impact of cyclones.
She is scheduled to take an aerial survey of Nandigram, an assembly constituency from where she was defeated by in the recent election, and other cyclone affected areas in Purba Medinipur district on Saturday.
Banerjee named Chief Secretary Bandyopadhyay as the chairman of the Digha Development Authority.
Meanwhile, according to the notification issued for the 'Duare Tran' scheme, someone whose agricultural land was damaged by Cyclone Yaas would get a compensation between Rs 1,000 and Rs 25,000, while an affected betel leaf farmer would receive assistance of Rs 5,000.
A person who lost cattle in the calamity would ger Rs 30,000.
The government will provide Rs 5,000 to a person whose kutcha house was damaged and Rs 20,000 each to those whose houses were destroyed, the notification said.
Applications for the 'Duare Tran' scheme will be accepted between June 3 and 18 by officers in camps to be held during that period.
While verification of damage will be conducted from June 18 to 30, transfer of the compensation amount to the beneficiaries will be done between July 1 and 8.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
