SAIL involved in restoration work in cyclone-affected area in Odisha

State-owned steel maker SAIL Tuesday said it is supplying parallel beam electric poles for restoration works in the cyclone-affected areas of Odisha. The Ministry of Steel has directed Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) to ensure all-out efforts to meet the requirements of cyclone-hit Odisha, SAIL said in a statement.

"SAIL is moving special-quality wide parallel beam (WPB-160) electric poles on the top-most priority basis to cyclone Fani-affected areas in Odisha. SAIL moved the first consignment of 500 electric poles to the disaster-affected areas, another 5,000 poles have already moved to the affected areas," the firm said. The company has assured to move a total of 15,000 such poles in a time-bound manner, it added.

Restoration of electricity is a priority and for this purpose, SAIL said it is mobilising all resources from various locations of the country to move the electric poles on an urgent basis to the affected areas. Cyclonic storm 'Fani' made landfall on the Odisha coast on the morning of May 3, packing heavy rain and winds with speeds of up to 175 kmph.

Till Monday, the death toll due to the cyclone rose to 35 in Odisha, as lakhs of people still grapple with water shortage and snapped power supply, three days after the storm barrelled through the coastal parts of the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)