On Wednesday last, it gave its assessment to Union Home Ministry saying it suffered damages to its properties worth Rs 11,942 crore. However, this was ‘just preliminary assessment’ and a final memorandum would be given by month-end after it undertakes a village-to-village survey.

So far, the damages accounted for are: Rs 1,159.8 crore by Energy department with over 1.56 lakh electric poles blown away or bent by high winds and over 2 lakh-km-long electric lines damaged plus Rs 537 crore by the forest department

But there is more to come, as losses to private properties like hotels, business establishments and lakhs of houses are yet to be ascertained. 

For one, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha claims the industry in Puri and Bhubaneswar suffered a loss of Rs 500 crore as scores of sea-side hotels had massive damages– glass-panelled doors, windows were shattered and rooms were filled with sand. Worse, some 6,500 schools have been completely or partially damaged by the cyclone. 

The entire exercise will therefore be completed only after the new government is in place. Whoever it may turn out to be, will Naveen Patnaik be able to extract his pound of flesh?