In his first interview since Cyclone Fani that ravaged the coastal districts killing 41 people, Naveen Patnaik said special category status is the need of the hour due to the massive loss to infrastructure which may stall growth of the state.
Mamata Banerjee is a good political fighter, no doubt. She knows how to respond to political attacks, but in times of natural disaster, when the common man is facing crisis, it is not proper to bring political rivalry to a personal level.
"We have set global standards in saving people's lives, now we should start working for setting global standards in making coastal Odisha disaster resilient," said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Life remains paralysed as ferocious winds leave trail of destruction in Odisha
Death toll in Cyclone Fani rises to 34 in Odisha, over 1 crore people effected. Modi conducts aerial survey of cyclone Fani-affected areas
Train services on the mainline have been partially restored where there has been extensive damage to rail infrastructure. But the line will be made operational on Sunday.
India has witnessed at least 20 severe cyclonic storms in past two decades but the ongoing "extremely severe" cyclone "Fani", which hit the eastern coast along Odisha with a wind speed of up to 200 km per hour on Friday, has been found to be the strongest to hit the country since 1999.
Extremely severe cyclone storm cyclone Fani, which hit Odisha coast near Puri on Friday morning, triggered heavy rains in parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, while gusty winds uprooted trees and electricity poles, officials said.
The extremely severe cyclonic storm made landfall at around 8 a.m. in Puri but thanks to enough advance warning, about 11 lakh people had already been evacuated from vulnerable and low-lying areas of at least 11 coastal districts by Thursday.
The Cyclone Warning Division of the India Meteorological Department said the wind speed of the Extremely Severe Cyclone Fani could reach 200-230 kilometres when it makes the landfall.
The highest number of people -- 3 lakh -- was evacuated from Ganjam district while 1.3 lakh people have been evacuated from Puri district, said an official from the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) office.
Cyclone Fani Live Updates: Hits West Bengal, Kolkata Airport To Be Shut, About ten thousand villages and fifty-two Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are likely to be affected by cyclonic storm Fani. Winds above 200 kmph wreak havoc. Odisha, Here are the Latest updates on Cyclone Fani at India TV
Cyclone Fani currently lies 65 km from Gopalpur and 80 km from Puri in Odisha.
As Cyclone Fani triggered downpour coupled with squally wind in coastal Odisha on Thursday, the state government moved 11 lakh people to safety and advised the public to remain indoor on Friday, ahead of its landfall around 9.30 am close to Puri.
At the meeting, he directed the senior officers of the central government to maintain close coordination with officers of the affected states, a PMO statement said.
Fani is likely to impact coastal districts like Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Balasore.
Lifting of Model Code of Conduct will expedite precautionary measures in Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Gajapati, Ganjam, Khordha, Cuttack and Jajpur districts in Odisha. Next 48 hours are crucial for Odisha as Cyclone Fani is approaching the coast.
Next 48 hours are very crucial for eastern coast of the country as Cyclone Fani is inching towards it. The authorities are bracing for the impact of landfall of Cyclone Fani which is likely to bring winds gusting upto 205 kmph with it.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary L.V. Subrahmanyam, on Tuesday, discussed the likely impact of the Fani through video conference with chief secretaries of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Odisha and West Bengal.
Cyclone 'Fani' has intensified into an 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' and it will cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali by Friday afternoon, the India Meteorological Department said Tuesday.
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