Relief for rain-hit families

Bhubaneswar: The state government today announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1.5 lakh each for the families of eight persons killed in unseasonal rains and hailstorm which hit four coastal districts of the state this week.

This was announced by Revenue and disaster management minister S N Patro in the Assembly today.

He said the calamity left at least eight people dead, besides causing damage to paddy crop and houses in Balasore, Kendrapara, Jajpur and Jagatsinghpur districts.

While one person died in Balasore on Tuesday, three and four persons respectively were killed due to lightning in Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur respectively on Wednesday, the minister said.

Five others were injured due to lightning in Jagatsinghpur district, he said adding the injured have been discharged from the hospital at Paradip.

The state government had announced an immediate relief of Rs 5,000 each to the bereaved families and Rs 2,000 to the kins of injured respectively.

Highest number of four casualties were reported from Jagatsinghpur, but there was no report of damage of house or crop loss due to rain and hailstorm there, he said.

According to preliminary report received from Balasore Collector, about 25 per cent of the paddy crop in about 5,801 hectares of land was damaged in Jaleswar, Soro, Bahanaga, Nilgiri and Oupada blocks, the minister said. MORE PTI AAM SKN SUS AGL