Visakhapatnam: A parliamentary committee on Home Affairs
on Sunday praised Andhra Pradesh government
for doing a "good job" in restoring normalcy in areas affected by
cyclone 'Hudhud' last year.
The panel was formed to assess the damage caused by the
cyclone. The panel under its chairman P Bhattacharya visited areas Auto Nagar,
Rambilli, and Anakapalli Mandals in the district today as part of its
assessment tour.
Acknowledging that 'Hudhud' caused the
major damage to crops and property in the district, Bhattacharya said the
committee will recommend to Union government to help victims in all aspects.
Hudhud had caused extensive damage to
Visakhapatnam and the neighbouring districts of Vizianagaram and Srikakulam in
October. He said the state government has done a "good job" and
restored the situation within a few days.
"The Union government has
released Rs 400 crore so far towards relief works. We will recommend them to
release more funds to help victims," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
announced aid of Rs 1,000 crore for the affected areas last year. The team
observed that the cyclone had washed away thousands of houses and a large
number of workers have lost their jobs.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, one of
the members of the panel, said it will appeal to the Centre to extend support
to those people who lost their homes in the cyclone. The committee also visited
Gorapudi village where a large number of coconut trees were uprooted. It also
asked District Collector N. Yuvaraj to provide alternative income sources to
the affected coconut farmers.