Cyclone Amphan caused damages worth Rs. 1 lakh crore: West Bengal govt to Central team

A Central team met with Chief Secretary Rajva Sinha and other senior state officials on Saturday after vising cyclone-affected areas in the districts of North and South 24 Paraganas. According to sources in the state administration, the state government told the Central team that Bengal has sustained damages worth Rs 1 lakh crore.

They further revealed that during the hour-long meeting nearly 20 lakh houses were damaged in the state by the cyclone Amphan.

Earlier in the day the Central team led by Anuj Sharma, Joint Secretary (cyber and information security) to the Home Ministry visited the Raidighi area in South 24 Paraganas district. Sources in the state administration said that the Central team visited villages near the highway and did not visit those in the interiors. The Central team did not speak to reporters.

According to locals, there is discontent among a section of villagers over the Central team not visiting areas where embankments were breached during the cyclone.

The team which arrived in the city late on Thursday evening also met with delegations from the opposition parties. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said that they had urged the team to ensure that the grant from the Centre should directly be credited to the accounts of those affected by the cyclone. CPI(M) MLA and state Leader of the Left Legislative Party Sujan Chakraborty said that the Centre should set ensure that the funds for the cyclone-affected people must not be diverted by unscrupulous means. He also demanded that Centre must declare Amphan as a national disaster.

The Central team on Friday visited cyclone-affected Hingalganj in North 24 Paraganas and Namkhana in South 24 Paraganas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the state had announced that the Centre will provide immediate assistance of Rs. 1000 crore for relief and restoration work in the wake of cyclone Amphan.