PM for coordinated efforts to rehabilitate Fani victims

Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina asked the ministries to work together in a coordinated way to rehabilitate the cyclone affected people.

The premier, who is now in London on an official visit, asked the ministries to “work in unison” in carrying out post-Fani rehabilitation activities.

The ministries concerned held a meeting at Prime Minister Office here today to review the overall rehabilitation activities taken since the Fani hit Bangladesh following the order of the prime minister, said an official release of the PMO.

Senior secretaries and secretaries of the local government division, agriculture ministry, disaster management and relief ministry, water resources ministry, and health services division were present at the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, PM’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman thanked all concerned for successfully facing the cyclone Fani in a collective way as per the directives of the premier, the release said.

Senior secretary of the disaster management and relief ministry informed the meeting of the measures taken by his ministry to face the disaster, saying, “As many as 7000 more cyclone shelters are required across the country to face such a disaster.”

However, the senior secretary of power division told the meeting that they had managed to restore electricity supply to each of the districts at the quickest possible time by engaging manpower of unaffected districts.

Secretary of the water resources ministry informed the meeting that the cyclone wrecked damage at 243 spots of 4,665 kilometers of embankments in the costal belt.

Two of the embankments have suffered major damage while the repair work of the remaining 241 is going on. The principal secretary asked for repairing the embankments quickly.

The agriculture secretary said major damage took place in croplands and they are now assessing the losses caused by the Fani to take necessary measures to assist the farmers to recoup the losses.

A review meeting on the post-Fani rehabilitation works will be held at PMO at 10:30am tomorrow. A work plan of the ministries and departments to face any possible severe disaster will be placed at this meeting.

Ministers concerned will be present at the meeting, the release said.