Take steps for normalcy in Yaas-affected areas: PM to officials

Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed officials on Thursday to take necessary steps to restore normalcy in the cyclone Yaas-affected areas, especially in Odisha and West Bengal, at the earliest. In a meeting held to take stock of the impact of the cyclone here, he reviewed the assessment of damages and the work done by the various teams deployed in the affected region.

The PM will visit Odisha and West Bengal on Friday to review the impact of Yaas and the relief efforts undertaken till now. Sources said he will reach Bhubaneswar and hold a review meeting. He will then proceed for an aerial survey of Balasore, Bhadrak and Purba Medinipur, followed by a review meeting with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and state officials.

In the review meeting, the PM was informed that 106 teams of NDRF were pressed into service. Forty-six teams each were deployed in West Bengal and Odisha. They rescued more than a thousand persons and removed more than 2,500 trees and poles uprooted by the cyclone. Army and Coast Guard personnel rescued marooned people,e while the Navy and Air Force have been kept on alert.