Odisha Govt. seeks 20,000 Cr for AMPHAN Damages

Bhubaneswar : Odisha government on Friday seeks a Rs 20,000-crore package for creation of disaster-resilient infrastructure in the state, which is frequently devastated by natural calamities like cyclones and floods.

Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy placed the demand for the package and talked about other requirements before the Inter-Ministerial Central Team that undertook spot assessment of the damages caused by cyclone Amphan, which had struck the Odisha coast on May 20, affecting around 44 lakh people in four districts.

Tripathy said “Due to the geo-climatic location of Odisha and climate change impacts, cyclones are going to be a regular feature in summer, monsoon and post-monsoon months,”

“We have requested the central government to support us for building cyclone-resilient infrastructure, rather than spending huge amounts each year towards immediate restoration and rehabilitation,” he added.

Though the state government has not submitted any memorandum to the team, Additional Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner P K Jena said a preliminary estimate of around Rs 20,000 crore has been made.