Agartala, Aug 24 (IANS): Agriculture and Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Saturday said that the catastrophic flood in Tripura, which was ravaged extensively by the monsoon deluge for the first time in over three decades killed at least 26 people, damaged crops and electrical properties worth over Rs 707.41 crore as per preliminary assessments.
The minister said that due to the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains since August 19, various standing crops have been damaged in 68,826 hectares of crop land valued at Rs 531.25 crore affecting 1,41,406 farmers.
He said that horticultural crops in 5,614 hectares of land worth Rs 167.14 crore have been damaged affecting over 27,000 farmers.
The Minister said that the power department suffered a loss of huge assets worth Rs 9.2 crore as 1,603 electrical poles collapsed, 501 big transformers and many other properties and machinery were damaged affecting 3,19,773 electricity consumers across the state.
“All the losses are estimated based on preliminary assessments. After the flood water completely recedes then the final field assessment of damages and losses would be calculated,” the Agriculture and Power minister told the media.
Nath said that after 1952, 1983 and 1993, Tripura witnessed such catastrophic rains, floods and landslides for the first time.
According to Disaster Management Department officials, over 1,055 houses were damaged either fully or partially and hundreds of trees were uprooted, blocking many important highways.
Landslides occurred in 2,032 places across the state and the debris has been cleared.
A Revenue Department official said: “Preliminary reports suggest extensive damage to physical infrastructure including roads, bridges, electricity, buildings and houses. The actual amount of damages would be known only after the field visit and assessments were completed.”
He added that according to preliminary estimates, properties valued at approximately Rs 5,000 crore have been damaged, though many areas are yet to be visited for preliminary assessments.