Finance
On Wednesday, an eight-member central team toured various areas in Odisha’s Ganjam district affected by the cyclone and floods to evaluate the destruction to crops and infrastructure resulting from Cyclone Arnab and the following floods, officials reported.
The group, headed by Ravi Shankar, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), started its evaluation in Achili village, following a visit to the adjacent Gajapati district.
While visiting, members of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team examined agricultural fields and evaluated damage to paddy crops that were close to harvest. A senior district official accompanying the team mentioned that they interacted with the impacted farmers in the village.
The team toured multiple lift irrigation sites and examined breaches in the embankments of the Rushikulya river, where floodwaters submerged numerous acres of farmland.
It also evaluated harm to electrical infrastructure, such as broken power lines, toppled trees, and compromised mobile tower setups, the official stated.
The team conducted additional examinations of harmed bridges and roads eroded by floodwaters at various spots throughout the district.
Prior to starting the field visit, the team convened with district administration officials to go over the damage assessment.
Ganjam Collector Keerthi Vasan V shared a comprehensive report, including photos and videos, illustrating the level of damage, according to officials.
On Tuesday, the team explored multiple flood-impacted areas in Gajapati district, visiting spots where bridges were destroyed at Makapada in R Udayagiri block and Gundriguda in Mohana block.
It also examined the damaged Khariguda culvert and a section of the National Highway close to Ledabandha.
The Centre sent the team after the Odisha government requested an evaluation of the damage from floods caused by Cyclone Arnab, which struck the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 28.
The state administration has documented considerable destruction in the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, and Kandhamal located in southern Odisha.
In addition to Shankar, the group includes officials from the ministries of agriculture, finance, Jal Shakti, power, road transport and highways, and rural development, as well as a representative from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Chief Secretary Anu Garg stated that the team plans to meet senior officials from the state government following its field visits to discuss the evaluation of damage and share its findings.
