Centre seeks limelight for tackling Phailin!

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters on Monday, Reddy said: ‘Due to the accurate prediction of tropical cyclone Phailin by Indian Meteorological Department, direct damage to Odisha and Andhra Pradesh was minimised.’ Some, however, questioned the timing of the briefing as operations to evacuate nine lakh residents in record 36 hours was on ground executed by the Odisha state government headed by Naveen Patnaik.

The minister claimed the evacuation of one million people ahead of Phailin was the largest such exercise in the world, and said the UPA government had invested around Rs 750 crores in technological upgradation of the MET department over the past years.

Reddy was flanked by minister of state for home Mullappally Ramachandran at the AICC headquarters as they recounted the achievements of IMD, NDMA and various central government agencies in tackling the situation successfully.

‘This very severe cyclone we predicted exactly. The track (of cyclone) we predicted exactly. The intensity we predicated exactly. Because of our early predication, huge evacuation took place. Our nation can congratulate itself,’ said Reddy. M Ramachandran said the government was working towards making the country ‘disaster resilient.’