A central team constituting seven members will be visiting the regions affected by Cyclone Yaas in West Bengal today and tomorrow. The central team reached Kolkata on Sunday.
The team has bifurcated into two, with one to review the conditions of the road and the other left for aerial survey of villages located in the Sunderban delta. The storm surge induced by the Cyclone, which happened simultaneously with the perigean spring tide, had triggered massive floods in extensive areas.
A senior official from the state government said, “The Central team is to visit South 24 Parganas on Monday and East Midnapore on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the team would visit the adjoining areas of Kolkata. They will also hold a meeting with top officials of the state government at the state secretariat to assess the damage before submitting a report to the Union home ministry.”
Meanwhile, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already submitted a preliminary report to Prime Minister highlighting the damage caused in the state which is estimated at Rs 20,000 crore.
PM Modi also reviewed the situation by conducting an aerial survey shortly after the cyclone. After which, he declared financial assistance of Rs. 1,000 crore for immediate relief initiatives, from which Rs. 500 crore given to Odisha immediately and another Rs 500 crore directed towards Jharkhand and Odisha on the grounds of damage, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The PMO further revealed that inter-ministerial teams will review the damages in both Bengal and Odisha.
Mamta Banerjee has also planned a review meeting over the damages induced by the cyclone and other crises faced by the state. An official said, “While the cyclone has breached and severely damaged around 250 km of river embankments and the monsoon expected to hit anytime this week, another spring tide is expected around June 25 – 26. The water level could rise and saline water from the rivers could gush into the villages in the coastal areas and Sunderban delta once again.”