A meeting with the Inter-Ministerial Central Team held under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary SR Mohanty. The Central Team has been urged to provide assistance of Rs 6,621 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund for the damage caused to the state due to extreme rains and floods.

Out of 149.35 lakh hectares of Kharif crop in the state, 60.52 lakh hectares have been damaged. This has affected about 55.36 lakh farmers. About 11,000 km roads have been damaged in the state. About 18,604 electric poles as well as transformers and 1.2 lakh houses have also been damaged by the excessive rains and floods.

Mohanty urged the Centre to provide immediate assistance to the state and take the situation in the state as a serious disaster.

The Inter-Ministerial Team led by the Joint Secretary of Union Home Ministry SK Shahi after visiting the 15 districts of the state, held a meeting with the officials of the state government at Mantralaya on Wednesday. The Central Team was informed that 1348.3 MM rainfall was recorded in the state during a period from June 01 to September 30, which is 43 percent more than the average rainfall. As many as 20 districts of the state are affected by the excessive rainfall. Due to heavy rains, about 75,000 people were evacuated to the relief camps and other safe places and about 289 relief camps were organised.

It was informed in the meeting that 19,958 buildings of School Education and Tribal Affairs Department as well as 17 thousand 106 buildings of Women and Child Development were damaged. Similarly, 2,923 buildings of Rural Development and 2,398 structures related to water supply were damaged. Along with this, the buildings of the Department of Health, Water Resources have also been affected. Repairs of damaged buildings will require Rs 2285.88 crore.

In the same order, assistance of Rs 3,742 crore to compensate damage caused to crops, Rs 579.96 crore to compensate damaged houses and life and property and Rs 13.44 crore for disaster relief etc have been demanded.