Govt okays advanced cyclone detection radars for N-East

Govt okays advanced cyclone detection radars for N-East
ENS AND PTI

NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR, DECEMBER 17: Five cyclone detection radars in the eastern part of the country would be replaced by more advanced Doppler weather radars, the Government said today.

Action has already been initiated to replace cycles detection radars at Chennai, Calcutta, Vishakhapatnam, Machhalipatnam and Paradip by more advanced Doppler weather radars, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister for Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi said in a written reply that action has also been initiated to instal a Doppler weather radar indigenously developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Sriharikota.

Currently the cyclone warning centres are located at Calcutta, Bhubaneshwar, Vishakapatnam, Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad.

Minister of State for Culture and Youth Affairs said the sun temple in Konark was not affected in the recent cyclone that devastated the region.

However, in addition to the green belt created to protect the temple from the saline winds, chemical cleaningand treatment is also done periodically to protect and preserve the entire structure.

Meanwhile in Bhubaneswar, bowing to Opposition pressure, the Orissa Government has decided to exempt all forms of water tax to help the farmers of cyclone-affected districts to raise the rabi crop.

Intervening in the three-day debate on the two successive cyclones which hit the Orissa coast, Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal also announced the state government's decision to defer collection of all types of water tax of the kharif season, 1999 by a year.

Stating that the Government has taken several decisions for reviving the agriculture sector, Biswal said that 15 lakh free coconut saplings will be distributed among the affected families. He said that defaulters will be eligible to avail agriculture loans from cooperative banks and consumption loans of Rs 2,000 each would be recovered after two years.

The Chief Minister announced that all lift points will be energised by January 15, 2000. He said there will be no LIpoints without energy after January 31, 2000. He also announced the Government's decision to exempt school and college students of the affected areas from examination and tuition fees.

Biswal further said steps have been initiated by the Government to coordinate the relief and rehabilitation works of the Central task force, the state government, other state governments and non-government organisations (NGOs). He said a preliminary proposal for erecting a saline embankment to protect coastal areas from cyclones has been submitted to the Centre. The state government has requested Defence Minister George Fernandes to convene the next meeting of the task force at Bhubaneswar, he added.

Biswal said the Maharastra Government has drawn up a Rs 40 crore package for the worst-affected Jagatsinghpur district. The package includes construction of cyclone shelters and schools in the district. A delegation from the Maharastra Government will reach the state within the next two to three days, he added.

The ChiefMinister announced that the state government has already disbursed house building assistance amounting to Rs 97 crore. Payment of house building assistance will be completed by December 31, 1999, he added.

Earlier, Biswal announced in the Orissa assembly that the state government would abide by the verdict of the High Court on the public interest litigation (PIL) in the polythene purchase issue.

The CM made this announcement after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members had staged a walkout from the house demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the polythene scam.