Didi seeks `20,000 crore Cyclone Yaas relief fund
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded a special relief package of `20,000 crore from Prime Minister Narendra Modi while briefing him separately on Friday on the damage caused in the state due to “very severe” Cyclone Yaas following his arrival at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Midnapore after doing an aerial survey of the devastation here while flying from the neighbouring affected state Odisha.
Submitting a preliminary report to Modi, the Trinamul Congress supremo, however, skipped the review meeting chaired by the PM, apparently due to the presence of her protegeturned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, the new Leader of the Opposition in the state.
The CM, who later flew to Digha, the state’s famous beach town in East Midnapore which was ravaged by the cyclone, said: “I, accompanied by state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, handed over a report of the damage and losses to the PM at Kalaikunda. I told Mr Modi: ‘This is our report. Now do whatever you think is best. So far we have ascertained a loss of
`20,000 crore.’”
She added: “There are two good schemes in our report to the PM. One is a package of `10,000 crores for Digha’s development. Another is a package of
`10,000 crores for Sundarbans’ development. Though we may not get anything, I told the PM: ‘I came here to meet you since you wanted to after traveling such a long distance. I also needed to visit Digha as per my schedule.’ Taking his permission, I then left.”
According to state government sources, the separate meeting by the CM with Modi took place only after the PMO accepted a request for it.