Cyclone forces 30,000 small units shut in Odisha; 300 mineral water plants closed
Updated: Oct 14, 2013 04:12:08pm
Bhubaneswar, Oct 14 (KNN) Cyclone Phailin has caused massive damage to the industry in Odisha leaving more than 30,000 micro and small enterprises in eight districts shut, washing away their infrastructure.
Almost, 80 per cent of power transmission infrastructure has been damaged in the coastal areas.
The cyclone impacted almost eight million people in the 13 districts of Odisha — Puri, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Gajapati, Balasore, Bhadrak, Khurda, Cuttack, Keonjhar and Balasore — Ganjam suffered the most.
Since the coastal areas of Odisha are thronged by tourists, there is large requirement for mineral water produced by local MSMEs.
“Over 30,000 micro and small enterprises are shut in the 8 affected districts of Odisha. There is no power, and restoration of power will take at least 10-15 days more,” said Founder and Chairman of Odisha Industries Federation from Cuttack.
Sahu said that most of the micro and small units have lost their infrastructure as their roofs were completely washed away. Mostly the units from the sectors such as food packaging, food processing, fabrication, steel have suffered the worst damage.
“We don’t know how long it will take to make things normal as a lot of damage is done. The government should give some subsidies through banks and re-work the interest rates for the small units,” added Sahu.
As many as 300 mineral water factories in the state are closed.
“There is no power since last 3-4 days, so the mineral water plants are not able to treat water. With no power and drinking water, the general public will suffer the most,” said Sahu.
The devastating cyclone, which made a landfall on the southern coast of Odisha on Saturday night at a windspeed of 200 km an hour, affected cultivable area of 0.5 million hectares and washed away crops worth Rs 2,400 crore.
“Of the total cultivable area of 3.6 million hectares, 0.5 million has been affected. The crop loss has been estimated at Rs 2,300 crore,” said Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta K Mohapatra.
The loss to power infrastructure is about Rs 1,000 crore, said another highly-placed official. Of which, the loss in Ganjam district alone is estimated at Rs 500-600 crore, he added.
Odisha has been a popular tourist destination amongst Indians as well as foreigners. The cyclone has had a massive impact on the services sector too, as all the hotels in Puri, Gopalpur and other affected districts are closed.
“The guests from the hotels were also forced to leave due to safety issues and the hotels are forced to shut due to no power,” Sahu said.
The flight and train operations have resumed in the state but the power situation in Ganjam district will take at least a week to be restored and the infrastructure has to be built from scratch.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced food assistance for the affected people. (KNN/SD)
Almost, 80 per cent of power transmission infrastructure has been damaged in the coastal areas.
The cyclone impacted almost eight million people in the 13 districts of Odisha — Puri, Ganjam, Nayagarh, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Gajapati, Balasore, Bhadrak, Khurda, Cuttack, Keonjhar and Balasore — Ganjam suffered the most.
Since the coastal areas of Odisha are thronged by tourists, there is large requirement for mineral water produced by local MSMEs.
“Over 30,000 micro and small enterprises are shut in the 8 affected districts of Odisha. There is no power, and restoration of power will take at least 10-15 days more,” said Founder and Chairman of Odisha Industries Federation from Cuttack.
Sahu said that most of the micro and small units have lost their infrastructure as their roofs were completely washed away. Mostly the units from the sectors such as food packaging, food processing, fabrication, steel have suffered the worst damage.
“We don’t know how long it will take to make things normal as a lot of damage is done. The government should give some subsidies through banks and re-work the interest rates for the small units,” added Sahu.
As many as 300 mineral water factories in the state are closed.
“There is no power since last 3-4 days, so the mineral water plants are not able to treat water. With no power and drinking water, the general public will suffer the most,” said Sahu.
The devastating cyclone, which made a landfall on the southern coast of Odisha on Saturday night at a windspeed of 200 km an hour, affected cultivable area of 0.5 million hectares and washed away crops worth Rs 2,400 crore.
“Of the total cultivable area of 3.6 million hectares, 0.5 million has been affected. The crop loss has been estimated at Rs 2,300 crore,” said Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta K Mohapatra.
The loss to power infrastructure is about Rs 1,000 crore, said another highly-placed official. Of which, the loss in Ganjam district alone is estimated at Rs 500-600 crore, he added.
Odisha has been a popular tourist destination amongst Indians as well as foreigners. The cyclone has had a massive impact on the services sector too, as all the hotels in Puri, Gopalpur and other affected districts are closed.
“The guests from the hotels were also forced to leave due to safety issues and the hotels are forced to shut due to no power,” Sahu said.
The flight and train operations have resumed in the state but the power situation in Ganjam district will take at least a week to be restored and the infrastructure has to be built from scratch.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced food assistance for the affected people. (KNN/SD)
Loading...
