Centre to release funds to mitigate damages of last year’s catastrophic flood in Tripura: CM Saha

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday said that he is in touch with the Central government for post-flood relief and the Centre would release the funds after completion of official procedures.

While addressing the Flood Relief and Management Programme at Rabindra Bhavan here, the Chief Minister said that in last year’s (in August) catastrophic flood about 17 lakh people were affected and around four lakh people were shifted to safe shelters and 889 relief camps set up by the government. At least 38 people lost their lives in the flood and landslides while a total of 58,687 houses were damaged. Due to the devastating flood, the state caused damages of around Rs 15,000 crore, he informed.

Noting that people of all sections helped a lot to deal with natural disaster and contributed generously to the Chief Minister’s relief fund, Saha emphasised the importance of extending a helping hand to people in difficult times. The people of Tripura never experienced such a disaster in the state before.

The Chief Minister also acknowledged and appreciated the efforts made by various voluntary organisations and other groups during this time of crisis. The Chief Minister also mentioned that ‘Abhoy Mission’ (an NGO) and its affiliated organisations have helped about 5,600 flood-affected families.

“The Central Government has also provided all possible assistance to deal with the flood situation. Various organisations, including the Air Force, NDRF, SDRF, and others, worked together to manage the crisis. During this time of hardship, everyone contributed to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. This would serve as an example in the future too. People from all walks of life, including small children, students, employees, pensioners, businessmen, clubs, and social organisations, extended helping hands,” he said.

The Chief Minister further stated that in this flood, six major rivers of the state, except for the Juri River, had crossed the danger mark.

“Among the eight districts in the state, Gomati, South, and Sepahijala districts were the most affected. Other districts also suffered more or less damages,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah helped a lot to deal with the crisis.

The Inter-Ministerial Central Team visited Tripura and inspected the situation and damages in various districts. The Chief Minister added that an amount of Rs 564 crore, including funds from state exchequer, was allocated to address the disaster. The District Magistrate of West Tripura, Vishal Kumar, Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manik Lal Das, along with other officials were present at the event.