Hit hardest by the cyclone Phailin, the coastal district of Ganjam is estimated to have suffered a loss of at least `3,000 crore in the nature’s fury which has deprived lakhs of people of their livelihoods and damaged 2.4 lakh houses.
Nine people lost lives due to the cyclone in the district. Fishermen have suffered massive losses as their nets, boats and catamarans have been damaged. The farming community has also been hit with the standing paddy crop submerged in water.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, after a visit to the relief camps in Ganjam, ordered payment of Rs 500 each to the affected even as the administration announced distribution of rations free of cost for two months.
Official sources pegged the loss in Ganjam at more than Rs 3,000 crore with the power infrastructure being damaged most.
There has been extensive damage to the standing paddy crop as a huge area of land covering paddy fields has been submerged in rainwater. There has been huge loss to horticulture farming also as an enormous number of mango and coconut trees have been uprooted, district Collector Krishan Kumar said.
He said Ganjam is the worst-affected district in Odisha in terms of loss of livelihood and property. More than 2.4 lakh houses have been damaged which includes fishermen’s huts and other kutcha houses.
A special relief package for fishermen would also be announced by the Government. Fishermen have suffered massive losses as their nets, boats and catamarans have been damaged, the Collector said.