Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited landed in Kolkata on Friday to get an aerial view of the cyclone-affected areas in the state. Chief Minister of the state, Mamata Banerjee was present to receive him. The Prime Minister later announced 1,000 crore relief to the state.
After taking stock of the situation in the state, the Prime Minister released a video message alongside the state’s governor Jagdeep Dhankar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee where he announced relief packages from the central government. He announced that an ex-gratia sum of 2 lakh rupees to be given to the families of each who have lost their family members in the cyclone and 50,000 for the injured. He said,
“I announce an advance interim assistance of ₹1,000 crores for the state. A detailed survey will be conducted of the damage to agriculture, power, and other sectors, besides damage to houses.”
Strongest SuperCyclone since 1999
On Thursday, Mamata Banerjee addressed a press briefing where she requested the Prime Minister to come to Bengal and take stock of the situation. She also added that it is the worst natural disaster she has witnessed. It is said to be the strongest super cyclone that have made landfall in Bengal since 1999. On Friday morning, Narendra Modi landed in Kolkata where he was received by the Chief Minister, the governor, and the BJP state leadership. Later, Modi and Banerjee conducted an aerial survey of the districts that have been severely hit by the Cyclone Amphan.
Until Wednesday, the Cyclone Amphan that has hit the states of West Bengal and Assam have claimed 76 lives only in West Bengal. 15 of them are in Kolkata. As the winds of the cyclone blew at a speed of 190 kilometers per hour, the buses and taxis in the roads collided with each other, the boats turned upside down and the grounded planes quivered. Like the coronavirus, the migrants were on the receiving end of the cyclone as well.
A large part of the state has lost electricity as either the poles have been uprooted or the trees have hampered transmission. In Kolkata, over 14 lakh people have been living without electricity since Wednesday. More than 1500 mobile network towers have been destroyed causing a suspension of internet and mobile services.
Earlier, the Prime Minister had tweeted his condolence message. He wrote,
“Have been seeing visuals from West Bengal on the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan. In this challenging hour, the entire nation stands in solidarity with West Bengal. Praying for the well-being of the people of the state. Efforts are on to ensure normalcy.”
Source: Livemint
