Cyclone 'Fani': Death toll rises to 37 in Odisha

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 7 (ANI): At least 37 people lost their lives and around 1.48 crore people were affected due to cyclone 'Fani', the state government said on Tuesday.
Nearly 6 lakh houses were also damaged after the 'extremely severe cyclonic storm' Fani hit Odisha coast in Puri district on May 3.
"One crore 48 lakh people have been affected in 155 blocks, almost 5.8 lakh houses have been damaged. Thirty-seven casualties have been reported till now," Odisha State Disaster Management Authority spokesperson Sangram Mohapatra told ANI here.
35 death had been reported due to the cyclone till Monday.
14 districts of the state, namely Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Keonjhar, Khordha, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh and Puri were affected by the severe cyclonic storm, State Emergency Operation Center (SEOC) had said on Monday.
A maximum number of people-21 had lost their lives in Puri district, it had said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), earlier in the day, released Rs 1, 000 crores for the restoration work in cyclone-hit Odisha as assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An MHA statement said the amount would be in addition to the Rs 341 crore that had been provided to the Odisha's State Disaster Response Force in advance.
While the landline connectivity has been restored in Puri, mobile services still remain skeletal. Cellular towers on wheels are also being deployed in Puri.
To restore the mobile and internet services in the affected areas, the Department of Telecommunications is coordinating with the state government to implement a priority plan. Mobile service providers have allowed free SMS and intra circle roaming in these areas.
Efforts are also being made to operationalize all ATMs in the affected areas.
Dates to register for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) advanced examinations have also been extended by five days up to May 14. (ANI)