Cyclone Yaas: 'Modi Govt Depriving Bengal Of Its Due,' CM Mamata Accuses Centre Of Partiality In Funds Allocation

Addressing a press conference here, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said “West Bengal is a large state with a density of population more than Odisha or Andhra Pradesh”.

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Kolkata: Alleging Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is depriving West Bengal of its due, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the Centre has agreed to provide an advance to the state of Rs 400 crore only to combat Cyclone ‘Yaas’ while pointing out that smaller states such as Odisha and Andhra Pradesh are being given Rs 600 crore each.  

Addressing a press conference here, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said “West Bengal is a large state with a density of population more than Odisha or Andhra Pradesh”.

READ: Yaas Cyclone LIVE: Odisha Govt Suspends COVID-19 Testing, Vaccination & Survey In Several Districts

“I am not against their getting money but why will West Bengal be deprived of its due? We have more districts and according to the meteorological department 20 of our districts will be affected by the storm. It's not that they are giving the money from their fund, they are giving our legitimate money in advance,” she added.

Banerjee also used the occasion to take potshots at Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“I have asked Amit Shah ji why are we getting a lesser amount when we are a bigger state than Odisha and Andhra Pradesh? He said that the allocation of money depends on certain mathematics and I decided not to continue with the issue further. During Amphan also, they gave only Rs 1,000 crore and I don't know what they will do this time,” IANS quoted Banerjee as saying.

Talking about the state government’s preparations to tackle cyclonic storm ‘Yaas’, Banerjee said: “Our primary concern is saving lives and so we have created 4,000 relief centres, taken schools and colleges where we hope to give shelter to 10 lakh people. The process of evacuation has started and we hope to shift the people before the landfall. We have also made arrangements for uninterrupted power supply in hospitals and vaccine centres so that there is a medical emergency and vaccination process doesn't get hampered.”

Stating “the impact might be even more than Amphan last year”, the Chief Minister said the “state government has made every possible arrangement in rescue and relief operations”.

“We have 1000 power restoration and 450 telecom restoration teams who will start working after the storm is over and we hope to restore power and telecom connectivity as soon as possible. We have also made arrangements for 51 disaster management teams,” she added.

The TMC chief further said that all ferry services have been cancelled besides many trains have been cancelled as a precautionary measure.

“The tourism activity has been totally cancelled and there has been an absolute ban on fishing in the sea for the next few days. We have supplied all relief materials to the block and panchayat level and we will be monitoring everything from the state secretariat,” she said.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a review meeting, through video conferencing, earlier in the day with the Chief Ministers of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh and the Lt. Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to assess their preparedness and that of central ministries and agencies concerned, to deal with the situation arising out of Cyclone ‘Yaas’, which is forming in the Bay of Bengal.