Govt to provide succour to cyclone-hit people in WB

The Government on Thursday vowed to provide “all possible succour” to the people affected by the cyclone ‘Aila’ that left a trail of death and devastation along the coast of South Bengal. “Last week,the state of West Bengal was affected by a cyclone inflicting damage to lives and property,” President Pratibha Patil noted during her customary address to the joint sitting of Parliament. “Let us convey our heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families,” she said.

The government will “extend all possible succour to cyclone-affected people in West Bengal,” the President said. Mamata Banerjee,the chief of Trinamool Congress which is the second-largest partner in the Congress-led UPA,had earlier demanded that relief items and funds should be distributed through the district magistrates and panchayats rather than the CPI(M)-led state government.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has faced angry protests and complaints of inadequate relief during his visit to the calamity-hit Sunderbans.