Pradhan seeks Centre help in restoration works

BHUBANESWAR: With the State facing a challenging task of restoring power supply and telecommunication services in Fani-hit areas, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged the Centre to pitch in to restore normalcy.

On his request, the Centre is sending another high-level team of officials to the State to discuss with the Government on the kind of Central assistance required for restoration works. “The team, led by Union Power Secretary, will undertake discussions with the State Government to ensure time-bound and expeditious restoration of power, telecommunications and banking services in the affected areas,” Pradhan said after a meeting with Union Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha in New Delhi on Saturday.

The meeting was attended by Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Union Secretaries of Home, Power, Telecommunications and Additional Secretary and Department of Financial Services. They reviewed the status of relief and restoration operations being carried out in the cyclone affected areas of the State.

“I have requested Power Secretary to ensure Central agencies like NTPC and PGCIL to extend all possible help for restoration of power supply on project mode in specific areas in close cooperation  with the State Government for the benefit of people living in cyclone affected areas,” he added.

With telecommunication network down and severely hampering banking services, the Union Minister had earlier requested Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for deploying adequate number of mobile banking units for enabling withdrawal of cash.

“The team is being sent even before the State Government submitted the required memorandum. An exception has been made for the first time in this regard so that the Central team can gather first hand idea on the extent of damage caused by the cyclone,” Pradhan said.

He has also requested that insurance companies should be asked to complete the assessment of damages expeditiously and settle the claims in a time-bound manner. A special loan package, including restructuring of existing loans, should be worked out for kick-starting the economy which has been battered by the devastating cyclone, he added.

As there are reports of large-scale damage to livestock, he requested Cabinet Secretary to ascertain details thereof, so that an appropriate policy intervention can be formulated to restore livelihood of affected people.