Chief Secretary Odisha government, Aditya Prasad Padhi, emphasized on the restoration of mobile and internet connectivity as the absence of these has hampered restoration and relief work.
This aerial handout photograph released by the Indian Coastguard on May 4, 2019 shows storm damage near the railway station in Puri in Odisha after Cyclone Fani hit the region. Cyclone Fani, one of the biggest to hit India in years, barrelled into Bangladesh on May 4 after leaving a trail of deadly destruction in India. (Handout / INDIAN COASTGUARD / AFP)
Chief Secretary Odisha government, Aditya Prasad Padhi, on Tuesday, sought immediate assistance in terms of skilled manpower for the restoration of power related work from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal in the cyclone hit coastal areas of the state.
Participating in the National Crisis Management Group meeting convened by cabinet secretary PK Sinha, Padhi appraised that there has been a substantial improvement in the supply of drinking water in the devastated rural and urban areas of Puri, Cuttack, and Bhubaneswar.
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Ninety per cent restoration has been possible after delinking the water supply system from the power system and pressing gen sets, he informed.
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Given the magnitude of devastation to the power infrastructure, the Odisha government requires skilled manpower (at least 5000 people) to expedite work, he said.
He claimed that 10 to 15 per cent restoration of power has been done in Bhubaneswar.
The chief secretary emphasized the restoration of mobile and internet connectivity as the absence of these has hampered restoration and relief work.
He requested for more vehicle mounted mobile towers for Puri.
He pointed out that direct benefit transfer and banking systems have been hit hard and permission needs to be given for cash assistance to beneficiaries under various schemes.
Since ATMs of banks are not functioning, mobile ATMs are required, he added.
The state government has also asked SAIL to provide 60,000 electric poles at the earliest.
Additional chief secretary home Asit Tripathy has been made the nodal officer for the restoration of connectivity.
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