Uddhav Thackeray was in Alibaug to take stock of the damage caused by the cyclone.
Mumbai:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today announced a financial relief of 100 crore rupees for the Raigad district, which was hit by Cyclone Nisarga three days ago.
The chief minister made the announcement during a visit to Alibaug Taluka in the Raigad district to take stock of the damage caused by the cyclone that bypassed Mumbai but hammered the popular front door, about 120 km from the financial capital of the country.
The chief minister left for Alibaug – the tropical storm landing site on Wednesday – in the recently acquired Ropax ferry which was to begin service between the coastal city and Mumbai this summer.
“This assistance (from Rs 100 crore) will be given for emergency aid. This is just the beginning. Don’t call it a package,” said Thackeray, quoted by the PTI news agency. .
Chief Shiv Sena, 59, asked district officials to provide assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Thackeray also ordered officials to restore electricity quickly to the Raigad district, where the uprooting of utility poles cut power. Six people were killed in the state due to hurricane incidents.
Uddhav Thackeray ordered authorities on Thursday to assess the damage caused by the cyclone and to report on it in two days to assure people that quick help is being provided to farmers and villagers.
Thackeray will also hold a meeting with senior officials at Alibaug district headquarters, his party said.
The severe cyclonic storm swept away roofs and uprooted utility poles after it made landfall in the Raigad district on Wednesday afternoon.
Along with Raigad, Pune and Ratnagiri, 14 other districts suffered from cyclone damage. The cyclone – the second to hit India in two weeks – hammered houses, knocked down trees and damaged the region’s cashew plantations.
In Raigad alone, several houses were destroyed and more than 500 utility poles collapsed.
The National Disaster Response Force or NDRF spent most of Thursday cleaning the trees and removing debris. Several Maharashtra ministers visited the affected areas and meetings were held in Mumbai.
State Energy Minister Nitin Raut told reporters, “Coastal villages have been damaged. I have seen uprooted trees and utility poles myself.”
Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettivar said: “Collectors have been asked to investigate the damage and send claims. We will pay compensation for the damage and the government will help.”
Cyclone Nisarga was the second to hit the Indian coast in almost two weeks. Cyclone Amphan, one of the worst storms to form over the Bay of Bengal in recent years, hit Bengal and parts of Odisha last month, killing nearly 100 people and affecting lakhs .
(With PTI inputs)
