Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today issued a direction to ensure supply of electricity to all cyclone Hudhud hit villages by Oct 20 and asked the Revenue department to ensure distribution of house damage assistance to the people who lost their homes in the calamity.
Patnaik, who reviewed the relief and restoration activities in the five worst cyclone hit districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Rayagada and Nabarangpur here, said the government must ensure smooth functioning of all the drinking water supply facilities which remained defunct due to lack of power supply since the cyclone.
Of the total 587 drinking water supply projects badly hit by the calamity, power supply had been provided to 459 projects. Patnaik directed that the power supply must be restored to rest 128 water supply projects by October 20.
The state government had sought Rs 500 crore interim assistance from the Centre for the relief and restoration works.
"We are certain that all the water supply projects will get power. We have been working in war footing to restore power supply to the all the calamity hit areas," Special Relief Commissioner P K Mohapatra said claiming that 80 per cent of the affected area have been provided with electricity.
Mohapatra also claimed that all the roads under the Works and Rural Development departments have been cleared and repaired to ensure transportation of relief materials to the affected areas.
While 163 road have been repaired within three days, efforts are on to ensure connectivity between Maoist hit Narayanpatna and Parvatipuram in Andhra Pradesh.
"As a culvert on the Narayanpatna-Parvatipuram road has been completely damaged, we are trying to build an alternative road there," Mohapatra said.
Responding to Patnaik's direction of providing house damage assistance to the affected people, the SRC said that all the homeless people have been given polythene sheets for temporary accommodation.
They will be given financial assistance within the deadline set by the Chief Minister, he said.
According to a report submitted by the Forest and Environment department, as many as 7,000 big trees have been uprooted as wind speed reached 100 kmph. The forest officials have been asked to shift the logs to the forest development corporation depots in different districts.
SRC said that all the reservoirs have required amount of water.
