New Delhi, May 27 (IANS): Leader of Congress party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written a letter to speaker Om Birla urging him to take steps to restore the MPLADS funds scheme to be used for cyclone relief.

"Considering the criticality of the situation, I would beseech upon you to take appropriate steps in having the blocked MPLADS Funds released and the scheme made operational once again in its true spirit," said Chowdhury in the letter.

The MPLADS Funds scheme has been suspended for the last two financial years.

Chowdhury said it should be made available immediately so as to enable people's representatives to come to the aid of and help their constituents in this dire hour of need.

While the second wave of the Covid -19 pandemic has brought unimaginable miseries, the people of Odisha and West Bengal are facing the devastating affects of the cyclonic storm Yaas.

"The critical impact the cyclonic storm would have on the intensity of the Covid-19 pandemic in the states of West Bengal and Odisha in particular remains to be seen in the coming days. There is a distinct possibility of a significant increase in the Covid-19 infection rate in the region in the coming days," he said.

He said this calls for urgently gearing up for the availability of critical health care equipment including PPE Kits, oxygen cylinders, ventilators etc.