Gujarat wants probe into cyclone "aspects"

GANDHINAGAR, June 15: Even as the death toll in last week’s cyclone devastation reached the 1055 mark today, the Gujarat government has denied "rumours" about an outbreak of cholera at Gandhidham in Kutch district where at least 794 bodies have been recovered so far.

According to an official spokesman here, effective steps were being taken, along with a massive cleaning operation in Kandla and Gandhidham town areas to prevent outbreak of any epidemic. About one hundred sweepers from Vadodara have been sent to aid the operation. Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has urged the Centre to set up an inquiry commission to probe "certain matters" relating to the cyclone that swept the Saurashtra and Kutch regions of the State last week.

A top State government source revealed that Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel in a letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, felt that "certain cyclone related matters" need to be probed, and has urged him to set up an inquiry commission for this purpose.

Though, the sourcerefused to divulge the exact details about the letter, it is presumed that it referred to the alleged failure on part of the Kandla Port Trust (KPT) authorities to warn people about the cyclone, which they were aware of. It is alleged that the KPT had warned their own employees, but did not issue any warning to nearby areas.