CM to visit cyclone-affected Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg today
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is expected to announce a package for the cyclone-affected coastal districts after chief minster (CM) Uddhav Thackeray’s tour to Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg on Friday.
The spot assessment of losses in Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Raigad and other districts is expected to be completed in a day or two.
Cyclone Tauktae, that hit the coastal districts on Sunday and Monday, caused damage to structures and horticulture in the state. The death toll rose to 19, after the body of one of the missing sailors from Devgad was found on Thursday.
CM will hold review meetings with officials from Ratnagiri and Sindhdurg, following his visit to the affected areas of the two districts. In Sindhudurg, Thackeray will be visiting the villages at Vengurla and Malvan tehsils.
“The assessment of losses after following due procedure will be completed in next couple of days. CM is visiting the affected districts on Friday. The relief package will be announced after the assessment is completed,” said relief and rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar, who is also on a visit to Konkan.
According to preliminary estimates, crops and horticulture on more than 12,000 hectares (ha) have been damaged.
“Total losses are expected to be around ₹60 crore as the damages this time are much lesser than last year [caused due to Cyclone Nisarga]. Coastal districts do not grow any seasonal crops, and thus there was not much damage to the crops. Horticulture has sustained losses as Alphonso mango trees and chickoo plantations were damaged largely. We have asked district collectors to immediately release ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh to the next of kin of the people who died due to the cyclone,” said an official from the relief and rehabilitation department.
As per the set norms of the National Disaster Response Fund, the compensation for crop losses ranges between ₹6,800 and ₹18,000 per hectare and between ₹6,000 and ₹95,000 for damages to houses. The state government had increased the relief amount as a special case for the damages in last year’s Cyclone Nisarga.
Meanwhile, thousands of households in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg continue to remain without electric supply as the restoration work is underway. Energy minister Nitin Raut on Thursday said restoration of power will be completed within the next few days.
“We have diverted workforce from other districts such as Kolhapur, Nanded and Nashik so that the restoration work is completed fast. We have suffered losses of about ₹62 crore due to the damages caused to the electric infrastructure,” he said.
Leader of Opposition in legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis also went to various affected villages in Ratnagiri on his second day of Konkan visit, on Thursday. He alleged that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government led by Thackeray was “biased” towards Konkan. “The government has been discriminating the cyclone-affected coastal districts by stating financial constraints as reasons. Some of the favourite districts get ₹500 crore through various schemes. But it’s not ready to announce a relief package of ₹150-₹200 crore for Konkan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar visited Palghar and held a meeting with chickoo growers who have sustained huge losses. Shelar said that he has received complaints from farmers about the “faulty assessment” of losses by district authorities.