Central team to visit West Bengal to assess Cyclone Amphan's damage; termed 'state guests'

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has formed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to visit West Bengal for assessment of the damage caused by Cyclone ‘Amphan’. The state has classified them as ‘state guests’ during their visit. The team will have 7 members headed by Joint Secretary, MHA Anuj Sharma.

Other officers are from Ministry of Jal Shakti, Power Ministry, Road and Highways, Department of Fisheries. The team will arrive in the state on Thursday and will visit South and North 24 Parganas during its two days visit.

Last month, Cyclone Amphan created havoc in the states of West Bengal and Odisha killing at least 86 people and causing damage worth thousands of crore rupees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 22 took stock of the damage caused by the devastating cyclone through aerial survey and had announced an advance aid relief of Rs 1000 crore and Rs 500 crore to West Bengal and Odisha respectively and assured full support from the Centre in restoring normalcy in the two states.

'Project will be completed within a month'

The West Bengal government will plant five crore mangrove trees within a month in the Sunderbans area which has been devastated by super Cyclone Amphan, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata on Wednesday. "There has been huge damage to the mangrove forests in Amphan. Our government has decided to rebuild the damaged forests by planting saplings," she said.

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On International Environment Day on June 5, there will be a small programme at Harish Park near her residence here to launch the project for planting five crore mangrove saplings in the Sunderbans, Banerjee said. "The project will be completed within a month," she added.

READ | West Bengal govt will plant 5 crore mangrove trees in Sunderbans: CM Mamata Banerjee

Thousands of trees were uprooted in the super cyclone in Kolkata alone while causing similar or more damage in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore. Banerjee also announced a cash benefit of Rs 10,000 each to the fishermen whose boats have been completely damaged in the cyclone through the Fisheries department.

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The Chief Minister said over Rs 37 crore will be distributed to the affected people whose livestock, including animals and poultry have been killed in the cyclone. She further said Rs 6,000 crore has been released for repair and relief operations for the Amphan disaster, which has caused a loss amounting to Rs one lakh crore to the state.

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