Agri dept to conduct block-wise survey to assess Amphan damage

Kolkata: The state agriculture department will conduct a block-wise survey "mentioning the nature of damage caused" to each area by cyclone Amphan.

The cyclone which had hit districts including East Midnapore, South and North 24-Parganas with windspeed varying something between 140 to 145 km per hour on Wednesday created havoc in the coastal areas of the state.

In the survey the department will try to pinpoint the blocks where salinity has affected farmland. The step to conduct the detailed survey in this format has been taken so that the remedial measures can be taken at the earliest.

Sources said that the state Agriculture Minister Asish Banerjee, Pradip Majumdar, agriculture advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Sunil Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary of the Agriculture Department, held a meeting at Nabanna on Friday following the direction of the Chief Minister, who had directed to ensure completion of the survey of the total damage caused by the cyclone within a week.

Though the department has received a preliminary report from some districts, the final and in-detailed survey report of the damage caused to the agriculture sector will get compiled by May 26.

Sources said that the blockwise report with details on the nature of damage caused will help in taking subsequent remedial steps. In case salinity has affected a piece of agricultural land, the state

government would take the initiative to provide them seeds using paddy cultivation even in plots affected by water with a high salinity level.

It was tried post-Aila in the state's coastal areas where there was heavy inundation of water due to the cyclone.

"It will be the second phase of our initiatives to support

farmers and it will be undertaken after the assessment and other preliminary essential works get completed," said an official.