Anil Goswami visits twin natural disaster-hit Odisha, assures Centre's support for reconstruction

Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami on Sunday visited cyclone Phailin-affected and flood-hit regions in Odisha, and voiced the Centre's absolute support towards reconstruction efforts in the state.

Goswami met with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and senior officials of the state government here to discuss the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of the twin calamities.

Goswami, during his one-day visit to Odisha, also visited Ganjam district, which has been declared as the most affected region post cyclone Phailin.

Meanwhile, the Odisha Government has submitted a memorandum to Goswami demanding an assistance from the Centre of Rs. 4242.41 crore for reconstruction, in the light of the recent natural disasters in the state.

The floods, which have claimed the lives of at least 15 people, were a predicted aftermath of the cyclone which made landfall in the Bay of Bengal on October 12, bringing winds of more than 200 km per hour, 3 metre-high tidal waves and heavy rain in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

On the sixth day of the floods, the embankment of River Malaguni broke due to the gushing waters of the swollen river as a result of which scores of villages in the region were marooned.

Although the water has started receding, around 50,000 affected villagers have nowhere to go as their houses were almost washed away by the floods.