Odisha: In the aftermath of cyclone Fani, the death toll rose to 41 in Odisha on Wednesday, even as the rehabilitation of the affected population is underway in the coastal state on a war footing.
"41 casualties have bee reported till now in Odisha, " said Sanjay Singh, Commissioner, and Secretary, Information and Public Relations.
"There has been massive damage to power infrastructure in the state, particularly in the districts of Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, and Kendrapada. We are working on a war footing to restore power infrastructure," added the official.
Also read: Cyclone Fani's impact on Puri
The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, also reviewed the rescue and relief measures in the Fani-hit areas with senior officials of the Odisha government and central ministries and agencies on Wednesday.
With lakhs of people still grappling with water shortage and snapped power supply, nearly 3,500 men are engaged in restoring power transmission lines, sub-stations, etc. and more workers are likely to reach Odisha from West Bengal and Telangana soon.
Water supply in urban and rural areas has been restored to a large extent with the help of diesel generator sets.
The state government, in coordination with the Centre, has prepared a detailed plan identifying the priority areas for restoring power and telecom facilities in Puri and Bhubaneswar, and it has received the additional financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore from the central government.
Meanwhile, the Department of Telecommunications is coordinating with the Odisha government and all telecom service providers to implement the priority plan for quick restoration of mobile and internet services in the areas affected by the cyclone.
Cyclone Fani which made landfall in Puri on May 3, left a trail of destruction in the state.
