Kolkata:
Seeking a central assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to effectively tackle the situation arising out of the devastating cyclone Aila, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare it as a national calamity.
"In view of the extraordinary and severe nature of the cyclone, it is our view that it be declared a national calamity," Bhattacharjee said in a letter to Singh.
He requested the PM to provide at least Rs 1,000 crore from the Natural Calamity Contingency Fund of the Centre, adding, "With this fund, along with the Calamity Relief Fund available at state-level, we can appropriately tackle the situation".
Bhattacharjee referred to his telephonic talks with the prime minister on May 26, and said "during discussions you had requested me to let you know the nature of central assistance required."
He said the primary assistance indicated that 51 lakh people had been affected in several districts and loss of life had already crossed 100.
Bhattacharjee said in his letter that 2.49 lakh houses were fully damaged and 2.75 lakh partially and "this may go up even further".
He said about 400 km of irrigation embankments were breached in North and South 24 Parganas districts in the Sunderbans area.
Nearly 100 km of embankments had been breached in other districts, he added.
According to Bhattacharjee, the total amount of relief and restoration expenditure to tackle the damage may exceed Rs 500 crore.
"A memorandum containing a detailed report on the nature and extent of damage and financial requirement is being submitted shortly," the letter said.
"Meanwhile, a central team of officers may be sent to visit the affected areas along with state government officials to assess the situation," Bhattacharjee said.