Moved by cyclone devastation; PM offers Rs.1,000 cr relief

• Undertakes aerial survey of cyclone-affected areas of AP, Odisha
• Rs.2 lakh to kin of those dead and Rs.50,000 for injured
• Assures Centre is with the State govt at this hour of crisis
• Appreciates the work being done by state govt to mitigate suffering
• Restoring essential services like water, power, communication is top priority
• Central teams will arrive soon to assess damage to property and agriculture
• Greedy traders exploiting the situation by doubling prices of essential items

Visakhapatnam: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, moved by the devastation in the wake of the Hudhud cyclonic storm, on Tuesday announced a package of Rs 1,000 crore as interim relief for cyclone-hit Andhra Pradesh after he undertook an aerial survey of the cyclone affected areas.

Talking to the media, Modi also announced an amount of Rs 2 lakh as ex-gratia for the kin of those who died in the cyclone and Rs 50,000 for the injured. Giving confidence to the people of the cyclone battered districts, the Prime Minister said, "The central government is with Andhra Pradesh government in this hour of crisis."

The Prime Minister arrived here on Tuesday afternoon to visit cyclone-hit Visakhapatnam and other parts of north coastal Andhra.

Soon after landing at Visakhapatnam airport, he inspected the airport which was virtually ripped by the cyclone. Officials briefed him about the damage. Modi said, "I was jumping with joy until very recently over making Vizag a smart city and now this crisis has hit us... We will soon come out of it. The government in its full strength is standing with the people."

Appreciating the efforts made by the state government to meet the challenge, the Prime Minister said the natural disaster saw both the Centre and the state government working "shoulder to shoulder" and it showed however "grave" a problem they can deal with it successfully together. Even the local bodies here had carefully followed the instructions of the government and had shown high level of discipline which had helped in containing the loss of life. “It was a terrible cyclone and I saw the trail of destruction both here and Odisha during the aerial survey,” he said.

Modi said farmers suffered extensive damage and a detailed survey would evaluate their losses and the union government would act accordingly.

Perfect use of technology prepared both Union as well as state governments to deal with the cyclone as from its timing to velocity and direction; all details were predicted accurately in advance.

Central government officials from various ministries would soon tour the region to assess damage and start work to restore normalcy, Modi told reporters.

He said restoring the basic needs of life like water and electricity were the government's immediate priorities and added that Insurance companies would be asked to survey the damage and work out claims at the earliest.

Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Ashok Gajapati Raju received him at the airport.

Meanwhile, Visakhapatnam remained without power, essential commodities for the third day. People in the cyclone-ravaged town of Visakhapatnam continue to live without electricity and communication facilities.

The scarcity of drinking water, milk and other essential commodities has added to the woes of this port city. The authorities haven't been able to supply water in tankers either, the citizens complained. Cashing in on the situation are greedy retailers, selling 20 litre water bottles for Rs 300 each. In some areas, half-litre milk packets were sold at Rs 50. With roads connecting the city to neighbouring districts yet to be cleared, supplies of milk and other essential commodities still remain cut off.

Mobile phones remain dead here for the third day in a row, with telecom services yet to be restored. ATM machines aren't working either.