Summary:
Basirhat: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after conducting an aerial survey of cyclone 'Bulbul'-hit areas in North 24 Parganas, said on Wednesday that the loss incurred by the state due to the natural calamity might go up to Rs 50,000 crore. Banerjee handed over a cheque of Rs 2.4 lakh each to the family members of five people from the district who lost their lives in the calamity. "If I'm not wrong, I think there has been a loss of Rs 50,000 crore," the chief minister said at an administrative review meeting here following the reconnaissance. At least nine people have lost their lives in the calamity - five from North 24 Parganas, three from South 24 Parganas and one from Purba Midnapore - while seven fishermen were still missing, Banerjee said during the meeting. On Monday, the chief minister had surveyed the storm- affected areas of Kakdwip, Namkhana and Bakhkhali in South 24 Parganas..