Thaindian News

Kolkata, June 9 (IANS) The 11-member central team, which visited West Bengal to take stock of the post Cyclone Aila situation, will submit a detailed report to the central government Wednesday.
The team during its three-day visit surveyed a large part of cyclone-ravaged South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts in southern West Bengal and Darjeeling hills. The central observers Tuesday took an aerial view of the marooned Sundarban Islands.

Later they held a high-level meeting with state Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta, Chief Secretary Ashok Mohon Chakraborty and other senior government officials at the state secretariat Writes’ Buildings.

On the basis of the team’s report, the central government will announce its compensation package for the cyclone-affected people of the state.

Meanwhile, the state’s Left Front government has demanded Cyclone Aila be declared as a national disaster and sought the central government’s help to carry out the rescue operation in the delta region.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has asked for Rs.1,000 crore of funds to provide relief to thousands of cyclone victims in the state.

Dasgupta rushed to Delhi and submitted a memorandum to the central government on the state’s demands.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday assured the Rajya Sabha that “the central government will do everything in its power to provide purposeful relief to West Bengal.”