Central team in Odisha to assess flood situation

A central team will visit Odisha Monday to assess the damage caused by cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods, as the toll in flood-related incidents rose to 60, an official said here Sunday.

The 12-member inter-ministerial team, led by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Rashmi Goel, will be in the state until the end of the month. During their stay they will make an on-the-spot assessment of the damage, a senior official of the office of the state's special relief commissioner told IANS.

The team shall be divided into two groups and will visit the most affected districts like Ganjam, Puri, Balasore and Mayurbhanj, he said.

The severe tropical cyclone Phailin in the Bay of Bengal devastated lives and damaged properties in more than half of Odisha. It made landfall Oct 12 night near Gopalpur in the state's southern Ganjam district, which took the maximum brunt of the cyclone and subsequent floods.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the state was experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding first due to the cyclone and now because of the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal.

"These rains have been continuing since Oct 10 and besides causing heavy damage to public and private property, the loss to the standing crop has been severe," he told reporters here.

Authorities Saturday confirmed seven more deaths in flood-related incidents, taking the toll to 60.