Konkan needs help from both, state and central government, says Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that Konkan is in a bad shape as it was badly affected by Cyclone Nisarga. The people here need immediate relief by both,

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that Konkan is in a bad shape as it was badly affected by Cyclone Nisarga. The people here need immediate relief by both, the state and central government. Pawar said that he will also meet the authorities in Delhi to get all the necessary relief for the affected people at the earliest.

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Pawar is on a two-day tour to assess the situation in the wake of the damages caused in the region owing to Cyclone Nisarga. On Tuesday, he visited areas such as Mangaon, Mhasla, Diveagar of Raigad. He interacted with villagers to understand their issues and resolve them. He also held a meeting with local MLAs (members of legislative Assembly], members of parliament and senior officials from district administration to assess the damages and relief measures.

“Farming and fishing are the two major source of livelihood for the people staying here. I found farmlands were damaged, mango and cashew orchards etc. have been destroyed, a huge number of trees, especially of coconut, have fallen, fishing boats and other equipment of the fishermen have been damaged. All this at a time when they were already sitting at home for more than two months due to the lockdown,” the NCP chief said during a press interaction.

At many places, there is no power supply as electricity poles have fallen down. People are also not getting drinking water as pipelines have been damaged. Both need to be restored in the next five to seven days. People should also be provided with food grains, kerosene etc. Those who have already been distributed under Public Distribution System (PDS), should be provided with it again as the stock has been destroyed, Pawar said.

“To provide immediate relief to the affected people, the process of conducting panchnama (damage assessment by the local authorities) should be completed as early as possible. I heard a team from central government is also coming to assess the damages. We will take the support of both the state and central government. We will also meet the concerned authorities in Delhi to provide relief to the affected people,” the veteran leader said.

On Wednesday, the NCP chief would be visiting Ratnagiri district.

On June 3, after the cyclone made landfall in Alibag; Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Thane and Palghar reported severe damages. On June 5, chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray had visited Raigad. He has also announced an immediate relief package of ₹200 crore for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. In a review meeting held on June 7, Thackeray said Thane and Palghar did not suffer as much damage as compared to the other districts and relief packages for them will be declared after assessments.

On Tuesday, Shiv Sena has declared to start a helpline for the affected people. Those affected can call on 1800228595 and 02224398366 between 11am and 6pm and share damage details.