Cyclone Fani aftermath: 50 NDRF teams engaged in relief & restoration work

Bhubaneswar: As many as 50 units of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are currently engaged in the rehabilitation and relief work post cyclone Fani in Odisha and emphasis is being laid on restoration of power supply in the affected areas, informed NDRF Director General, Satya Narayan Pradhan today.

Pradhan today held a meeting with Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi and Special Relief Commissioner of Odisha Bishnupada Sethi and held discussions on restoration work currently underway in the affected areas.

"After Kerala floods, the most number of deployment of NDRF units has been done in Odisha. As many as 50 teams are currently engaged in the relief and restoration work. Most units have been deployed for power restoration work as road clearance work is almost over," said Pradhan.

The NDRF teams will stay in camps till the completion of the restoration work. Earlier, 44 NDRF units were deployed and later 6 units were called from Kolkata who brought along gas cutters and high end plasma cutters to help in restoration of power infrastructure.

"Fifteen gas cutters and five high-end plasma cutters have been ordered from Kolkata which are being used to cut iron and concrete structures. Normalcy will be restored in Bhubaneswar by May 15 while in Puri it may take around 10 days for restoration work to be executed completely," the NDRF DG added.

Around 1, 50, 94,321 people in several districts have been affected by cyclone Fani which wreaked havoc in Odisha on May 3. As many as 43 persons have lost their lives in the cyclone which was one of the worst natural calamities to have hit the state after the super cyclone in 1999.