Naveen Patnaik sets deadline for restoration work post Phailin

BHUBANESWAR: Worried over tardy progress in restoration works after Cyclone Phailin, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today set deadlines for different departments to complete reconstruction activities, official sources said.

Patnaik, while reviewing the progress made in restoration activities following Cyclone Phailin and resultant floods that ravaged parts of the state two months ago, directed water resources and energy departments to complete the repair work of defunct lift irrigation (LI) points by January 15 to enable farmers to take up Rabi cultivation.

The water resources and the rural development departments were directed to complete the repair of affected river embankments, canals and village roads by March 31, 2014.

"The Chief Minister has asked the school and mass education department to complete the reconstruction of schools before the commencement of the next academic session in March, 2014," an official said after attending the meeting.

Taking note of the loss to horticulture, he stressed on large-scale plantation of fruit-bearing and vegetable saplings as well as early cultivation of sugarcane to make up the losses sustained by farmers engaged in cash crop cultivation.

As cashew plantations have been badly damaged in cyclone hit Ganjam district, Patnaik said soil conservation and the horticulture departments would jointly take up the plantation work by utilising funds from MGNREGS.

The Chief Minister also directed the departments concerned to expedite disbursement of house damage assistance among the affected people, financial assistance to affected fishermen towards the damage of boats and fishing nets, assessment of crop loss and disbursement of agri-loans among the affected farmers, state Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S N Patro said.

Besides the death of 25 persons, nearly four lakh houses were damaged in the calamity after Phailin made a landfall at Gopalpur in Ganjam district on October 12 night.