On a visit to take stock of the situation in Bengal after Cyclone Amphan devastated it, PM modi today took an aerial view the damages the cyclone caused which claimed 80 lives and thousands homeless. This is the prime minister’s first visit outside Delhi after coronavirus lockdown was imposed on the midnight of March 24.
In the month of May, the country was busy with elections and at that time we had to combat a cyclone that battered Odisha. Now, after a year, this cyclone has affected our coastal areas. People of West Bengal have been worst affected by it: PM Modi on #CycloneAmphan pic.twitter.com/PGOosH84XS
— ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2020
After an aerial survey of affected areas in Bengal, PM Modi will visit Odisha.
The fiercest cyclone to hit West Bengal in 100 years destroyed mud houses and agriculture crops, and uprooted trees and electric poles also wreaked havoc in Odisha damaging power and telecom infrastructure in several coastal districts.
#WATCH: PM Narendra Modi conducts aerial survey of areas affected by #CycloneAmphan in West Bengal. CM Mamata Banerjee is also accompanying. pic.twitter.com/Da7NebJhws
— ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2020
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spoke to West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Friday and assured all possible support to overcome the crisis triggered by cyclone Amphan.
I sincerely thank the President Ram Nath Kovind Ji, for personally calling me to convey his support&concerns for the people of Bengal in this unprecedented time of crisis because of #AmphanCyclone. We are extremely grateful: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (File pics) pic.twitter.com/zP0QgzLFVu
— ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2020
During a telephonic conversation, Patnaik enquired about the intensity of the damage and conveyed Odisha’s absolute solidarity with the people of West Bengal at this hour of crisis, a statement released by the Odisha Chief Minister’s Office said.
Ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the state, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said “Six lakh people have been evacuated. Around 60 per cent people have been affected. There has been a huge loss of property. I have never seen such a calamity in my life. Even I was shocked and surprised.
Cyclone Amphan has left 72 people dead and thousands homeless in West Bengal, battering several parts of the state and washing away bridges and swamping low-lying areas.
The fiercest cyclone to hit West Bengal in 100 years destroyed mud houses and agriculture crops, and uprooted trees and electric poles also wreaked havoc in Odisha damaging power and telecom infrastructure in several coastal districts. Two districts of Bengal were “completely devastated” as Kolkata and several parts of the state wore a battered look after the storm left thousands of people homeless, washed away bridges and swamped low-lying areas.
Large portions of Kolkata and its suburbs, which has a population of 14.1 million, were flooded and many roads littered with uprooted trees, some of which collapsed on parked cars and buildings.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the damage suffered by the state was difficult to assess immediately. She said that entire islands had been cut off from the mainland, including communities living along the Sunderbans, one of the largest mangrove forests in the world. “Area after area has been devastated. Communications are disrupted,” she said.
“We do not know if the damages will run into thousands of millions of rupees, will take three, four days to fully assess the extent of damage,” she said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday travel to West Bengal and Odisha for an aerial survey to take stock of the damage due to Cyclone Amphan in the two states.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister’s Office said, “He will conduct aerial surveys and take part in review meetings, where aspects of relief and rehabilitation will be discussed,” the PMO said in a tweet on Thursday night.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured that his government will do everything possible to help the affected people. “(I) have been seeing visuals from West Bengal on the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan. In this challenging hour, the entire nation stands in solidarity with West Bengal. Praying for the well-being of the people of the state. Efforts are on to ensure normalcy…No stone will be left unturned in helping the affected,” Modi had said.
The timing of the cyclone hampered relief efforts as West Bengal and Bangladesh are both battling the coronavirus pandemic.
