Chief Minister Raman Singh on Sunday convened an emergency meeting to announce a series of measures to be taken for bringing succour to the victims of a massive storm alongwith rainfall which swept through many districts of Chhattisgarh on Saturday night.
Singh, while expressing grief over loss of life and property brought about by the natural calamity, reviewed the emerging situation out of the storm and was informed by the officials that the relief work had been taken up on a war footing in the affected district.
The Chief Minister was informed in the meeting by officials that the uprooted trees are being removed and the work is underway to speedily restore water supply and electricity in the affected districts and the life was limping back to normalcy in the regions hit by the storm, an official press release issued here on Sunday said. Singh said that arrangements be made for food, medical treatment and clothing for those made homeless by the storm by putting up relief camps at the local level.
He stressed on the need for seeking help of social organisations to assist in managing the relief camps. Singh announced that Rs 1.50 lakh each be given a relief amount to next of kin of those who died in the storm while also directing officials that Rs 35,000 be offered as compensation for the damage caused to the pucca houses and Rs 10,000 for the other houses.
The Revenue Department officials informed that as per preliminary information received, four persons of a family died in a fire incident at Ghotwani village of Bemetara district as a result of the natural calamity which included three children and a woman. They informed that the disceased were boys aged 12, 10 and 7 and the woman was aged around 32 years.
The officials further informed that there is news of a worker of a private company dying while another person was killed after a tree fell on a vehicle carrying a marriage party at Ghanapali village in Basna tehsil of Mahasamund district. The district-wise loss of property incurred during the storm is as follows- Raipur ( 59), Bemetara (43), Mahasamund (8), Durg (9), Rajnandgaon (12) and Kanker (7). This apart, 25 animals were killed in Bemetara district and two each in Durg and Narayanpur.
In Kabirdham (Kavardha) district’s Dhangaon villge 27 houses suffered damages including tractor besides death of four cattle. In the meantime, information was received that relief camps had been started in Kabirdham (Kavardha) and Bemetara district.
The Chief Minister directed that the relief camps must continue for as long as possible till the affected required to stay in them. During the meeting, Singh called up each of the collectors of the affected district and took updates from them while directing them to get surveys done immediately on the extent of the loss of property and provide all possible relief to the victims.
The Chief Minister also spoke to the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Dayaldas Baghel on telephone who was already on a tour of Bemetara district. He announced that the affected will be provided compensation as per the provisions after an analysis of the report on damage caused is conducted.
Singh also directed the district collectors to arrange for food and utensils for the victims in the relief camps while also stating that the material required for the construction of the houses such as bamboo and wood be made available to the victims.
Present in the meeting were-- Secretary to the Chief Minister Aman Kumar Singh and Subodh Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister Rohit Yadav, Raipur District Collector Siddharth Komal ‘Pardeshi’ and Deputy Secretary, Revenue Department, P Nihalani among other senior officials. On the directives of the Chief Minister, the collectors of the affected districts have already started a tour of their respective districts.