Cyclone Amphan: MHA team will visit West Bengal, Odisha to assess damage, says NDRF chief

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General SN Pradhan on Thursday said that a team of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will visit the states (Odisha and West Bengal) to evaluate the damages done by cyclone Amphan.

"The number of deaths and injuries may rise in West Bengal. The numbers of people dead and injured are also being estimated, likely to be revised. A team of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will visit the states to evaluate the damages done by cyclone Amphan," said Pradhan while addressing a press conference with India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director-General Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, here.

Pradhan said that a meeting National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) meeting happened in the afternoon to obtain a preliminary input from states on the extent of the damage.

Commenting upon the restoration work at the Kolkata airport which flooded due to heavy rain after cyclone Amphan made landfall in coastal regions of Odisha and West Bengal, Pradhan said: "I do not have full authoritative information about the exact full restoration, but restoration is in full speed. As promised in the afternoon after NCMC meeting, the airport will be functional by evening or late evening."

"Two Air Force aircraft which are now ferrying two NDRF teams are ultimately going to land at Kolkata Airport, sometime this evening or late evening. I am sure that things have must started working or will soon start working there," he added.

Meanwhile, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India said that Two aircrafts of Air India parked at a Kolkata airport were not damaged. There is some damage to the hangar. A small private aircraft that was parked in the hangar has been damaged.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed that 72 people have died in West Bengal so far and announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh to the families of the deceased.

Assuring about the restoration work in the affected states, NDRF Chief said : "The entire country is with the cyclone-affected states, all agencies of the Central Government will go full tilt to speed up restoration and life goes back to normal, that is our commitment."

(ANI)

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