51 killed in Nor’westers since April in Odisha

At least 51 persons have been killed due to nor’wester-induced thunderstorms and lightning in Odisha since April 1, said a minister on Monday.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty informed that while 47 people died due to lightning, four persons were killed due to storms induced by nor’wester (Kalbaisakhi).

As many as six persons were killed in lightning on a single day from Bargarh, Cuttack, Khurda, Kendrapara and Puri districts on Sunday.

The Minister informed that six districts had mostly been affected by the nor’wester.

The state government has received crop damage reports from Bargarh, Subarnapur, Malkangiri, Dhenkanal, Jajpur and Mayurbhanj districts.

Mohanty informed that standing crops in nearly 26,899 hectare land had been damaged due to Kalbaisakhi in Bargarh district, while Sonepur district reported crops damage in over 923 hectare.

“We have already provided agriculture input subsidy and house building assistance based on the preliminary reports submitted by collectors of affected districts,” informed the Minister.

An amount of Rs 36 crore towards agriculture input subsidy for Bargarh district and Rs 3.35 crore for Sonepur has been sanctioned.

As many as 561 houses have been damaged in seven districts due to the thunderstorm, Mohanty said.

The Minister said the state government would provide compensation to the people who had been affected either due to Kalbaisakhi or thunderstorm after proper verification. (IANS)