The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The government has opened a coordination office in Barisal to monitor the overall relief and rehabilitation activities in the hurricane Sidr-hit areas at the coastal areas of the country.

The coordination office will be headed by Communication Adviser Maj Gen (Retd) MA Matin. Local administration and GOC of the concerned area will assist him.

It was informed yesterday at a special meeting of the Council of Advisers held here at the Chief Adviser's office. Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed chaired the meeting that reviewed overall relief and rehabilitation activities in the cyclone hit areas. Members of the Advisory Council attended it. PSO of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Masud Uddin Chowdhury was present in the meeting at special invitation.

After the meeting, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim told the journalists that the Advisers responsible for particular cyclone ravaged areas shared their experiences in the meeting and informed of ongoing relief and rehabilitation activities in the post cyclone period.

It has reviewed the multifarious relief activities that included food, drinking water, shelter, house reconstruction, medicare , logistics, salinity, urgent repair, communication and power supply restoration.

The meeting was apprised that the civil administration and the Armed Forces are working together relentlessly to mitigate the sufferings of the cyclone hit people. Medical teams are providing emergency health care services.

It was informed that special VGF programme for over 25 lakh people in the cyclone hit areas has been extended from next December to March for benefit of the marginal people. The meeting approved a decision to use Taka 90 crore of the Ministry of Education for repairing cyclone-hit educational institutions, transferring the amount from revenue to non-government sector.

It was apprised that power supply has so far been restored in 41 cyclone hit upazilas out of 56 and by November 30 all the localities will have power supply excepting a few.

Emphasizing on readiness to face any future calamity, the meeting put stress on the follow up activities like infrastructural development in the coastal belt including reconstruction of embankment, cyclone shelter and cattle shelter.

The meeting was informed that crops of about 26 lakh hectares have been damaged by the devastating sea storm. The government has taken various steps to rehabilitate the farmers and the fishermen in the coastal belt by providing them credit.

The meeting put stress on improving the advance warning system and to make it simpler and rationale so that more people can follow it easily. It also discussed about introduction of community radio in the coastal belt to make people aware.

The meeting dicided to form a high level technical committee to develop infrastructure in the coastal belt. It was informed that 14 helicopters from the US naval ship have been engaged in relief operation. US water purification plants are also operating. Medical team from Pakistan has also started providing emergency health services.

The Cabinet Secretary, and the Secretaries concerned were present.