West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today said in the state Assembly that no funds from the Centre had reached the state yet for relief work in cyclone-hit areas of the state.
The state was hit by cyclonic storm Bulbul in early November. The CM today said that the damage assessed by the Central team in the cyclone-hit areas was estimated at Rs. 23,000 crore. She added that she remained hopeful about getting funds as promised — since both the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister had spoken to her after the cyclone, showing serious concerns about the losses incurred due to the cyclone. However, Banerjee said that the funds were yet to arrive.
Nine of the 16 people who died during the cyclone were labourers who were kept in a boat when the cyclone made landfall. She said that the deaths of these nine labourers will be probed and proceedings will be carried out against those responsible for not moving them to safety.
The state will distribute around six lakh kits to the affected families containing essential commodities apart from food. The state has already disbursed Rs.1,200 crore to help the farmers whose crops have been damaged by the cyclone. The state government will also give Rs.5,000 each to the betel leaf farmers whose crops were damaged during the storm, said Banerjee. Around five lakh houses were destroyed in the cyclone, she said.
