News Analysis India

Tag: Cyclone Yaas

  • Central team to visit West Bengal to assess cyclone damage 

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: A seven-member Central team will visit West Bengal to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas, officials said on Sunday. 

    The “very severe cyclonic storm” made landfall in Odisha on May 26 and wrought destruction in several parts of the state as well as in parts of the neighbouring West Bengal. The Central team will be led by a joint secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

    The inter-ministerial team will take stock of the situation in South 24 Parganas district upon its arrival on Sunday. It will then travel to the East Midnapore district on Monday. 

    During the three-day trip, the team is likely to meet officials from the state’s Finance Department, sources said.

    The development comes a week after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay skipped a cyclone review meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading to a war of words between the Centre and the state government. 

    The Centre even issued a show-cause notice to Bandyopadhyay for skipping the meeting.

    Last month, a Central team had visited the state to review post-election violence in the state, days after Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress won the Assembly election with a thumping majority. 

    ​On May 31 itself, the MHA slapped a show-cause notice on Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment for up to two years for abstaining from the meeting presided by the prime minister.

  • FIR against Suvendu Adhikari, brother Soumendu for stealing relief materials for cyclone victims

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: An FIR has been lodged with Contai police station in East Midnapore against Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, his brother Soumendu Adhikari, who was the chairman of the local municipality, and two others for allegedly stealing relief materials meant for cyclone Yaas victims.

    In the complaint, Ratnadeep Manna, a member of the civic body’s board of administrators, alleged the loot was committed with the help of central force personnel who were assigned for Suvendu’s security.

    On May 29, 2021, around 12.30 pm, central force personnel came to the godown of Contai municipality in a small truck and with the help of two employees of the civic body, Himangshu Manna and Pratap Dey, they decamped with tarpaulin sheets, given by the state government as relief materials for cyclone victims, worth more than Rs 1 lakh, Manna wrote in his complaint.

    “Along with another member of the board of administrators Sheikh Habibur Rehman, I questioned Himangshu and Pratap. The two fumbled and admitted that they committed the crime on the direction of Suvendu and Soumendu,’’ Manna alleged in the FIR.

    Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 379 (theft), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 448 (trespassing) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 51/53 of Disaster Management Act , 2005, which deals with misappropriation of goods means for relief.     

    However, none of Suvendu and Soumendu could be contacted for their reaction.

  • Central team to visit West Bengal to assess damage caused by Cyclone Yaas

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A central team headed by a joint secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will visit West Bengal to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas, days after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee abstained from a cyclone review meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi triggering a controversy.

    The very severe cyclone Yaas made landfall in Odisha on May 26 and affected a large part of the state as well as West Bengal.

    A central team led by a joint secretary of the MHA will visit West Bengal for three days to assess the damage caused by the cyclone, a Home Ministry official said.

    The West Bengal chief minister had said, as per preliminary assessment, the cyclone had led to damage of an estimated Rs 20,000 crore to property and agriculture.

    She had also said that 18 lakh people were affected by the cyclone and around 2. 21 lakh hectares of crops and 71,560 hectares of horticulture area suffered damage.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of the cyclone-affected area of West Bengal on May 28 and later called a review meeting at the Kalaikunda air force station.

    However, the chief minister and the then chief secretary, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, a senior IAS officer, did not attend it, even though they met the prime minister for a few minutes.

    Following this, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the cadre controlling ministry for the IAS officers, summoned Bandyopadhyay for serving in the central government.

    However, he did not come to the capital and chose to retire on May 31, instead of accepting a three-month extension sanctioned to him by the state and central government.

    Subsequently, he was appointed as the chief advisor to the state government by Banerjee.

    On May 31 itself, the MHA slapped a show-cause notice on Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment for up to two years for abstaining from the meeting presided by the prime minister at Kalaikunda.

    Chief Minister Banerjee had alleged that the officer was targeted by the central government due to a “political vendetta”.

    The ruling Trinamool Congress claimed that the Centre was wreaking vengeance on the West Bengal government and that the notice sent to Bandyopadhyay was an “illegal” move.

  • Central team to review damage caused by cyclone Yaas in West Bengal

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: A seven-member central team will arrive in West Bengal on a three-day visit to make an on-spot assessment of the damage caused by cyclone Yaas, a senior official said on Saturday.

    The inter-ministerial team headed by SK Shahi, joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs, will take stock of the situation in South 24 Parganas district upon its arrival on Sunday, and Purba Medinipur the day after, he said.

    It is scheduled to complete its assessment in three days and leave for Delhi on June 9, the official said. “After reaching Bengal on Sunday morning, the team will head to the affected areas of South 24 Parganas district. There, it will hold a meeting with officials. On Monday, the central team will be visiting Digha and Mandarmani in Purba Medinipur, where officials will give a presentation on the damage caused by Yaas,” he said.

    According to government sources, the inter-ministerial team is also likely to hold a meeting with finance department officials during its three-day visit. Cyclone Yaas struck the coastal belts of Odisha and Bengal on May 26, dumping rain, flooding homes, and leaving behind a trail of destruction.

  • Mamata indulging in politics amid crisis caused by cyclone, COVID-19: Dilip Ghosh

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Alleging that Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “has no respect for the prime minister’s chair”, state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Sunday claimed that she skipped a review meeting on cyclone devastation for “political reasons”, notwithstanding the fact that people are reeling under crisis.

    Ghosh, while talking to reporters in Kharagpur, said that the CM has violated constitutional norms, and “everyone, by now, is aware of the kind of language and words she uses for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah”.

    “She is indulging in politics even as the people of state are reeling under crisis caused by the cyclone and the COVID-19 pandemic.

    We know how she entered the meeting room, where the PM was present, how she talked, and then left with the chief secretary,” the BJP leader stated.

    Reacting to Ghosh’s comments, senior TMC MLA Tapas Roy said, “There is little point in trying to counter the charges made by Ghosh, who now has little importance in his party.

    “However, since he has made certain observations, let me say that it is the BJP that is politicising the cyclone devastation and COVID situation,” he said.

    Echoing him, TMC spokesman Kunal Ghosh said the BJP, after its drubbing in assembly elections, is looking for ways to discredit the Mamata Banerjee government.

    Asserting that the BJP-led Centre was pursuing “vendetta politics”, the CM on Saturday said Modi and Shah were trying to create problems for her government at every step as they were yet to come to terms with BJP’s defeat in the assembly polls.

    She also sought to know why opposition BJP leaders were invited to her review meeting with the PM on cyclone devastation, further stating that she felt insulted at the gesture.

     

  • Bihar sets record in restoring power after cyclone Yaas enters state

    Express News Service
    PATNA: Shubham Kumar, an executive working from home in Vaishali, was worried a lot on Friday and Saturday and had sought off from his boss. Reason: Fear of massive interruption in the supply of electricity due to super cyclone Yaas.

    But his apprehension proved transitory when he started working after a small disruption of an hour on Friday when Bihar was lashed by the cyclone with heavy rainfalls. “It was unbelievable that the power got restored in village in so short time. Thankfully, Bihar has done this first time in a record short notice,” he remarked.

    Thousands of manpower and the linemen of Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd (BSPHCL) bracing odds amid the heaviest rainfalls with speedy wind, set a record in restoring the power within 12 hours in remotest parts of the state also.

    The department, which is one of the USP of state government performances in Bihar, had made elaborate arrangements to deal with the cyclone post effect in the electricity supply wings.

    In Bihar as per official sources, 35 urban feeders were affected by the impact of cyclone Yaas but all of these feeders were set within a day. Out of 1015 rural feeders in the state, supply of power was interrupted in 139 only out of which more than 115 were restored till Saturday.

    “We took the cyclone as a challenge and made all arrangements before the cyclone made landfall in the state.The result – less damages, shorter disruption and fast restoration,” BSPHCL chairman Sanjeev Hans said.

    Hans, who is considered as one of the tough task masters in state government, has made the control rooms open in every districts which will continue till May 30. “The entire pool of engineers, linemen and the contractual manforce with all tools and materials were stationed in a mission mode a day in before the cyclone hit the state,” Hans said.

    Amid the COVID crisis, the employees had been vaccinated and encouraged to such an extent as power warriors that they can conquer over any kind of disaster. “Additional manpower with adequate material like insulators, conductors, raincoats, gloves, ropes and cranes etc has been stationed still today to swing into action whenever required,” Hans said.

    Thousands of linemen, engineers and junior engineers braving against the heavy rainfall for the first time were seen removing fallen trees, snapped wires and rectifying faults in knee deep water at many places.

    Those involved as contractual manpower were seen working till late evening in knee deep water. Two of them said that restoring power had become their chief’s challenge. “We will not get it defeated,” saidUday Kumar, who got wet in the heavy ran at Sarai.

    In Katihar also, electric engineers and others were seen working in deep water to restore the power and they did it successfully.

    A senior said official said, “We have taken the challenge of keeping power supply uninterrupted andrestoration after damages by the cyclone as a war-time like challenge. And thanks to encouragement, given by CM Nitish Kumar, energy minister Vijendra Yadav and our boss Sanjeev Hans, we have succeeded.”

    As per a rough estimate, power supply to hospitals, vaccine centres, COVID treatment centres and almost all hospitals remained uninterrupted barring some shortest disruption lasting for hardly 30 minutes.

    Apart from this, state government has also decided to build separate power feeders to government hospitals in the near future. “Work is on with the support of health department on the creation of separate power feeders to governmentt hospitals,” Hans said.

    Hans also said that the department is working on providing electricity connection to about 2.7 lakh farmers of state for agriculture works with a facility of connection charges and payment of security money in installations to the farmers. 

  • Amphan lessons learnt: West Bengal government to plug relief leakage for cyclone Yaas-affected

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Stung by criticism over alleged corruption in cyclone Amphan relief distribution last year, the West Bengal government has decided to distribute compensation for cyclone Yaas victims bypassing the leaders of civic bodies.

    CM Mamata Banerjee has made it clear that separate task forces, set up at the state, district, sub-divisional and block levels, will work under the direct supervision of the chief secretary and for managing cyclone Yaas relief operations.

    “The government’s own machinery will be engaged to ensure compensation for those who deserve. No party worker or local leaders will be engaged in the process of identifying cyclone victims,” Banerjee said.

    In the run-up to the Assembly elections earlier this year, the BJP had accused several TMC functionaries of forcing cyclone Amphan victims to pay “cut-money” and siphoning off money sent by the Centre for cyclone Amphan relief.

    “The CM had expressed her displeasure over the issue of post-Amphan ‘corruption’, which surfaced during an inquiry. In many cases, members of gram panchayats or panchayat samities or their relatives were found siphoning off compensation money,” an official in the state secretariat said.

    The government has now engaged six nodal departments agriculture, disaster management, animal resources development, horticulture, fisheries and MSME to identify beneficiaries of cyclone Yaas.

    It has also decided to set up camps from June 3 to 18 under ‘Duare Tran’.  “The camps will be held in the affected areas and victims can  apply for compensation. The applications will be verified between June 19 and 30, and compensation credited to bank accounts from July 1 to 8,” said the official.

    Compensation amount

    A compensation of Rs 20,000 per household will be paid to those whose house was completely destroyed in the cyclone. For partial damage, Rs 5,000 will be paid per household. For crop loss, it has been fixed from Rs 1,000 to 2,500, but can be increased depending on the extent of the damage 

  • Cyclone politics: Poll defeat hurting, PM Modi playing dirty, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: The Prime Minister should not play a ‘dirty game’ and instead withdraw the letter directing to Bengal’s top bureaucrat to report to Delhi, West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee asserted on Saturday.

    Not one to cower under attack, the CM added that the BJP failed to digest its defeat in the recent elections and the saffron camp is now pursuing ‘vendetta politics’. Mamata claimed that PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah were trying to create problems for her government at every step ever since her party came to power for the straight third term.

    Chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay was served the transfer notice after Mamata, whom he had accompanied, skipped a review meeting with the PM to assess Cyclone Yaas’ damages.

    “You (Modi and Shah) are not only disturbing me, but also my secretariat.  You issued the letter without consulting the state government. Earlier, I wrote seeking Bandopadhyay’s three-month extension as he is assigned to oversee the fight against COVID and the government’s relief operation for cyclone victims. He was scheduled to retire on May 31 and the request was approved. Now you are asking him to report to the DoPT on the same day. Why? Is it because he is a Bengali bureaucrat?” asked Mamata. 

    Many saw her statement as an extension of her poll ploy of appealing to the Bengali sentiment of the masses. Continuing the same narrative, Mamata said she was ready touch Modi’s feet if told to do for the sake of Bengal’s growth and development.

    “You are doing all these because you cannot digest BJP’s defeat in Bengal. What is the fault of the chief secretary?…Recalling him reflects how the Centre is indulging in political vendetta,” she added.

    Responding to the BJP’s attack for not attending the review meeting, Mamata said, “I decided to attend the meet as I thought it would be between us. But later, I got to know about the revised event in which BJP leaders was invited. Then I decided to skip it.”

  • Yaas effect has lessened in Bihar, but need to remain vigilant: CM Nitish Kumar

    The impact of Yaas cyclone in Bihar has become less severe but there was a need for the people to remain vigilant and not let their guard down.

  • ‘No word to criticise the way Mamata, Chief Secretary insulted PM’: Suvendu lashes out at Bengal CM

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Leader of the opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Chief Secretary have insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi by not attending a meeting chaired by him to discuss the ravages caused by Cyclone Yaas.

    Banerjee did not attend the meeting but entered the room from where Modi was holding the meeting and submitted a report to him on the damages caused by the cyclone in the state, and sought a Rs 20,000 crore package for redevelopment of the worst-hit areas.

    She was accompanied by Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

    A few hours after the meeting, the Centre ordered his transfer to Delhi.

    “I have no word to criticise the way the West Bengal chief minister and the chief secretary insulted the prime minister,” Adhikari, a BJP MLA, told reporters in a virtual press conference.

    Claiming that Banerjee questioned his presence in the meeting held at Kalaikunda air base in Paschim Medinipur district on Friday, Adhikari said that he was invited to it as the leader of opposition in the state assembly and MLA of cyclone-affected Nandigram.

    “She is trying to show her arrogance and petty politics by her stance,” he said.

    Banerjee has claimed that opposition leaders were not invited to similar review meetings held in Gujarat and Odisha, the two states that also faced cyclone fury over the past few days.