The National Disaster Management Authority today said that the cyclone risk mitigation project in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa will be expedited and efforts would be made to complete them ahead of 2015 schedule.
In the phase one of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project of Rs 1,700 crore, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are being covered. And in the Phase II of Rs 1,800 crore, four other coastal States of West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala will be covered, V.K. Duggal, Member of National Disaster Management Authority, said.
Following a review meeting of the progress of the project in Andhra Pradesh with State Revenue Minister, N. Raghuveera Reddy, Duggal said that the project implementation was ‘somewhat slow’. So far, barely a fraction of the fund has been utilised and about Rs 600 crore has to be expended during the remaining part of the programme.
During the meeting, it was decided to expedite the implementation of the projects identified, by addressing the issues holding up their implementation. Andhra Pradesh has assured that the entire project would be implemented by the end of 2014 itself.
The timely implementation of the project is vital for release of funds. The Rs 771.50 crore project has been taken up with the World Bank’s support. It includes Rs 637 crore for cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure, capacity building in coastal communities and for knowledge creation.
K.M.Singh, another member of the Authority said that a 1,000-member-strong disaster management team has been stationed at a remote location in Guntur. Therefore, it was decided to locate about 150 of them in Hyderabad. To accommodate them, Andhra Pradesh has agreed to allot 2 acres near Hyderabad.
The sanction of funds is linked to completion of projects. Once infrastructure projects in the seven coastal districts are completed, they will be handed over to gram sabhas for management, Duggal said.
The State has sanctioned the creation of three State Disaster Response Force companies to be based in Hyderabad, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.