Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters Hrusikesh Mohanty in Berhampur
While cyclone Phailin has passed off without causing too many casualties, major industries in south Odisha’s Ganjam district, the worst-hit by the storm, took a hard knock.
Orissa Sands Complex, a unit of the Indian Rare Earths Limited under the Department of Atomic Energy, caustic soda producer Jayashree Chemicals, a Bangur Group company, and the state-owned Aska Cooperative Sugar Industries Limited have suffered massive damages.
These companies may take months to come back to the normal course of action.
According to preliminary estimates, OSCOM’s loss is estimated at Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion).
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Phailin takes a toll on industries in Ganjam
Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
The company’s mineral separation plant and sand dredging equipment have been severely damaged.
Besides, the storm has seriously dented infrastructural facilities of the plant.
OSCOM is located at Matikhala near Gopalpur, where the cyclone made a landfall last Saturday.
The company produces ilmenite, a rare earth mineral, by processing the mineral-rich sand from the nearby beach.
The company has halted production following the storm.
“There is no power. Plus, some machines have been damaged.
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Phailin takes a toll on industries in Ganjam
Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
It will take time to resume operations,” an official of the company official, which is incurring a loss of Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) a day because of the production halt.
Similarly, Jayashree Chemicals suffered huge losses when the cyclone ravaged the plant.
“The loss is yet to be calculated,” said a company official.
Aska Sugar Industries, the oldest sugar factory in the co-operative sector in the state, has decided to postpone the start of sugarcane processing activity this year after its infrastructure got damaged in the cyclone.
“We had planned to run the factory from November 15.
“But we have now decided to postpone the start of the crushing season,” said Trilochan Majhi, managing director of Aska Sugar.
About 30 per cent of the sugar stock in the factory has been damaged due to torrential rains after the roof of the godown was swept away by the massive storm that blew at a speed of 220 km an hour.
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