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Cyclone has caused 'very heavy' damage: Nitish Kumar

Surface Transport Minister Nitish Kumar today said he had directed all major ports in the country to immediately acquire all-weather communication facilities, in the light of the heavy damage suffered by the Paradip port in the super cyclonic storm.

All communications with the port still remained cut off due to which his ministry was in the dark about the extent of damage, he said after inaugurating a new office-cum-research and development complex of the Inland Waterways Authority of India at Noida, near New Delhi.

As the first step, the ports have been asked to equip themselves with satellite phones. The minister said he would visit the damaged port after a few days.

He said the crisis management group headed by the cabinet secretary was in regular touch with the Orissa government to ensure that relief measures proceeded without a hitch.

On its part, the surface transport ministry had dispatched a team of engineers, including some from the National Highway Authority of India, to Orissa to restore roads.

Although an exact assessment of the damage was yet to be done, preliminary reports indicated that it was ''very heavy,'' he said.

UNI

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