Rs 966 cr given to Odisha, Bengal for cyclone Bulbul: Reddy

The government said on Tuesday said it had released Rs 966 crore for the people affected by cyclone 'Bulbul', which claimed 11 lives and affected over 70 lakh people in West Bengal and Odisha.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy said, "As on April 1, 2019, Rs 447.52 crore is available with Odisha and Rs 264.70 crore with West Bengal under ther State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)," he said.

The West Bengal government had reported loss of 11 lives and 35.57 lakh people affected due to cyclone Bulbul. The Odisha government reported no loss of life and 38.08 lakh people were affected in the state, Reddy said. The cyclone also damaged roads, bridges and houses, he added.

"Further, in 2019-20, central share amounting to Rs 414.90 crore to West Bengal and Rs 552.00 crore to Odisha has been released under the SDRF by the central government." Reddy said. The Centre has released Rs 966.90 crore in all, to the two states.

He said additional financial assistance had been extended from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) as per the laid down procedure. After the cyclone, the central government constituted inter-ministerial central teams (IMCT) for both the states, which have visited the cyclone-affected areas.

He said the state governments had not yet submitted their memorandum for seeking additional assistance from the NDRF.

On November 9, cyclone Bulbul made landfall in Odisha and West Bengal and the following morning it moved north-eastwards into neighbouring Bangladesh, hovering over the Sunderbans delta.

After making landfall, the cyclone was downgraded from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm. It stayed in very severe category for only a few hours after which its wind speed dropped considerably.

( With inputs from IANS )