Cyclone Nisarga: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to visit Alibaug to assess damage

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday will visit Alibaug to take stock of the damage caused by Cyclone Nisarga which made landfall in the coastal town on Wednesday, sources said. This comes after Uddhav Thackeray asked officials on Thursday to complete panchnamas or inspection reports of losses due to cyclone Nisarga in Raigad district within two days.

CM Thackeray asks officials to file a report in 2 days

Speaking at a video conference, Thackeray also directed that the electricity supply be restored quickly. Six people died in Maharashtra due to cyclone-related incidents and 16 were injured, while six cattle were also killed, said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO). Crops, trees, and houses over 5,033 hectares of land were also damaged, it added.

Thackeray directed the authorities to provide aid of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of those killed, the CMO statement said, adding that he asked for panchnamas to be completed in two days so that assistance can be provided to farmers and others.

Mahavitaran, the electricity distribution company was asked to restore electricity supply by repairing the electricity poles damaged by the cyclone.

READ | CM Thackeray asks officials to file damage report on Cyclone Nisarga within 2 days

'People should be provided with food'

"Since there is a shortage of water for cooking purposes in some areas of the district, people should be provided food," the CM said. He ordered that the people in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region who were shifted to temporary shelters should be tested for coronavirus before they are allowed to go back home.

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Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat who was present at the meeting stressed the need to start relief operations at the earliest. Cyclone Nisarga, which made landfall near Alibaug on Wednesday afternoon, damaging over one lakh trees in Raigad district. Shrivardhan and Murud tehsils were worst hit with all communication being paralyzed, the CMO statement said.

Ten fishing boats were partially damaged while fish farms over 12 hectares also suffered due to nature's fury, it was informed. In Ratnagiri district, south of Raigad, 3,000 trees were uprooted and 14 power substations and 1,962 transformers were badly damaged.

In Mumbai city, trees were uprooted in 25 places while in suburbs, trees were uprooted at 55 places and two houses were damaged, it was informed in the meeting. The cyclone dumped 72.5 mm of rain in Maharashtra while 78,191 people were shifted to safer places, the CMO statement said.

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(With PTI inputs)