Central team visits Mizoram to assess damage caused by Cyclone Remal; state seeks Rs 237.6cr aid

Aizawl, June 25 (IANS) Amid the visit of the Inter-Ministerial Central team to assess the damage due to Cyclone Remal last month, the Mizoram government has urged the Central government to provide Rs 237.6 crore to the state to rehabilitate the affected people and repair the damage to the properties caused by landslides and rain triggered by the cyclone.

Mizoram Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister K. Sapdanga on Monday said that Chief Minister Lalduhoma, during his recent visit to Delhi, submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and demanded Rs 237.6 crore from the Centre for rehabilitation of people and repair the properties damaged caused by landslides and rain during the Cyclone Remal in the last week of May.

A Central team headed by Abhijit Sinha, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, is currently visiting the northeastern state to assess the loss of lives and damage to properties and crops.

Sapdanga, who also holds the Home portfolio, during a meeting with the Inter-Ministerial central team, said that the natural disaster claimed the lives of 34 people and caused a great deal of damage to public and private property.

The Minister told them that much financial support would be needed for rehabilitation and repair, estimating a minimum sum of Rs 237.6 crore to fully cover the requirements for rebuilding in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal.

Sapdanga apprised the Central team on the disastrous effects Cyclone Remal had on the state’s roads, water supply, electricity and other important state infrastructure, as well as the damage to ongoing projects.

He expressed his shock at the extent of damage at the hands of the disaster, and thanked the Central team for their presence and willingness to assess the damage on location.

–IANS

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