Cyclone Fani: Housing and Urban Development Department of Odisha estimates ₹524 cr damage

Cyclone Fani that hit the Odisha coast on May 3 damaged ₹524 crore worth of assets, according to the Housing and Urban Development Department assessment, said an official on Tuesday.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary G. Mathivathanan said ₹524 crore infrastructure was damaged by the cyclone in 53 urban local bodies in 14 districts.

According to him, 291 km of drainage system, 750 km of roads and 26,821 street light points were affected. Parks, public and community toilets were also damaged. Around 5,000 workers and 600 supervisors were engaged in sanitation work in the urban areas, he said.

Information and Public Relations Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh said the Skill Development and Technical Education Department assessed ₹30.50 crore damage engineering colleges, ITIs and skill development centres.

On relief distribution, he said of the 17.92 lakh identified eligible beneficiaries, 16.10 lakh have received cash, announced by the state government. Similarly, 15.44 lakh people received rice and 4.14 lakh of the 7.53 lakh either polythene sheets or cash in lieu of it.