PM to visit cyclone-hit areas of Odisha on Monday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Cyclone Fani ravaged districts in Odisha on Monday to take stock of the situation, officials said Sunday.

The prime minister will arrive at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in the city and undertake an aerial survey of the cyclone situation in the districts of Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore, they said.

After returning from the aerial survey, the prime minister will review the relief and restoration work with the state government officials at the airport itself.

The prime minister had earlier spoken to Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the phone and assured all possible help from the Centre for Odisha.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, earlier in the day reviewed relief measures in affected areas of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who undertook a visit to the cyclone-hit areas of Puri district, stated that the prime minister has said to provide all help for relief and restoration of the affected people.

The death toll in Cyclone Fani rose to 29 on Sunday, two days after the "extremely severe" storm barrelled through coastal Odisha, causing widespread destruction and leaving hundreds grappling with water shortage and power cuts.