Babul Supriyo to visit cyclone-hit areas of WB on Wednesday

Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Tuesday said he has been asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the cyclone-hit areas in West Bengal on Wednesday to look into the ground-level situation. Supriyo said his visit is not an inspection of the relief work being carried out by the West Bengal government but to find out the ground level situation as a union minister and MP from the state.

He urged the ruling TMC "not to do politics" over his visit and said that the state government has been officially informed about his visit to coastal areas of South 24 Parganas district which was lashed by Cyclone Bulbul. "I have been asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji to visit the areas and look into the ground situation. It is not at all any sort of inspection or any other political visit to the cyclone-hit areas. It will be purely a normal visit to look into the situation post-cyclone," Supriyo told PTI over the phone.

"I will be visiting cyclone hit Namkhana and Bokkhali region," he said. Two BJP delegations on Tuesday visited cyclone-hit areas in Kakdweep and Namkhana. They spoke to the affected people, enquired about the relief they are getting.

Senior BJP leaders said they would submit a report on this visit to the central leadership of the party in Delhi. Both Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday and had assured her of all help to the state government, Supriyo said.

The TMC leadership, however, said the Union minister's visit is solely aimed at politicizing the relief campaign. "Supriyo's visit is solely aimed at politicizing the relief campaign. Our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already visited those areas and looked into the relief and rehabilitation program, TMC MP and South 24 Parganas district president Subhasish Chakraborty said.

Cyclone Bulbul made its landfall in the South 24 Parganas district on Saturday night and the toll in the state due to the calamity is 14. Banerjee had on Monday conducted an aerial survey of the cyclone-ravaged areas of the district and announced a compensation of Rs two lakh for the families of each of those killed in the storm.

Severe cyclonic storm Bulbul made landfall on Saturday midnight near Sagar Islands of West Bengal ravaging areas like Namkhana, Bakkhali, Fresarganj, and Sunderban deltas before hurtling northeastwards into neighboring Bangladesh.