NEW DELHI, Jan 27 — The Centre’s Crisis Management Group (CMG) swung into action to contain the damage in the quake affected areas of Gujarat, rushing more medical teams, food, engineering and communication equipment for launching massive rescue and restoration operations.

Speaking after a meeting of the CMG, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, Mr T.R. Prasad, the Agriculture Secretary, Mr Bhaskar Barua said that apart from the state officials, public and cooperative sector undertakings — like IFFCO, Kribhco, Hindustan Zinc Limited and Indian Oil Corporation — had been authorised to distribute food packets to the affected people, additional blankets, tents and generator sets are bring flown to the affected areas.

The Agriculture Ministry is the nodal agency in the CMG. The CMG will continue to meet twice daily for coordinating relief and rescue operations.

The Centre has set up a special cell to coordinate round-the-clock health rehabilitation measures for the thousands of quake-hit people, the Union Health Minister, Mr C.P. Thakur, said, adding that blood and medicines had been rushed to Bhuj and other areas.

‘‘The situation there is not happy. Over 90 per cent of the houses had developed cracks and many aftershocks had been reported’’, Mr Barua said adding that while over 4,700 Army personnel were engaged in relief operations, other relief measures were on a war footing in the affected areas.

Mr Barua said there had been no damage to the HBJ pipeline, nor was there an oil slick in Kandla airport. He said the building at the Bhuj airbase had been damaged but there was no damage to the airstrip or aircraft. Railway facilities in the state had by and large not been affected and the national highways were operational, he said.

‘‘The Centre, state government and other organisations and forces are moving very fast. Army and Air Force had moved men and material to Ahmedabad and Bhuj, flying many sorties’’, he said.

A 1,000-line C-Dot exchange has been made operational in Bhuj, the epicentre of the quake, as the telecommunication lines have been snapped here, the Agriculture Secretary said adding that surgical and medical teams with mobile operation theatre facilities and engineering equipment, trench digging and lifting machines had reached the district.

There would be no dearth of foodstuff in the quake-hit areas of Gujarat as the government had already stocked enough wheat and rice for meeting the oncoming drought conditions in the area, Mr Barua assured and added that food items, including bread and biscuits, were being brought from nearby towns and neighbouring states. Drinking water was being supplied by mobile water tankers, he added.

Mr Barua said packed food items were freely being distributed to the people, who were forced to live on the pavements and in the open due to warnings of recurring minor tremors.

Relief material from the US, the UK, Russia, Germany, and other international agencies had already started reaching here.

Sixty doctors from hospitals like AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung had reached the quake areas to treat the injured, Mr Thakur said adding that mobile vans have been hired from Japan, which would arrive in a day or two.

Besides, the Health Ministry has sent 15,000 blankets and airlifted 100 tents from Calcutta, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr Shanta Kumar, said the Centre had directed that an advance release of 10,000 tonnes of levy sugar be given to the State Government and the Food Corporation of India was releasing one lakh tonnes of wheat from the Central Pool.

The Minister of Chemical and Fertilisers, Mr S.S. Dhindsa said that Indian Petro Chemical Limited had sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for relief measures and the Department of Fertilisers had also been asked to arrange 10,000 blankets and 20,000 tarpaulin sheets.

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh had announced Rs 5 crore each for relief work. Madhya Pradesh would contribute Rs one core and Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi said his state would give Rs 1.5 crore as immediate assistance.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today sent a draft for Rs 51 lakh to his Gujarat counterpart.

Six of the five cranes sent to the state from Jaipur has already reached Ahmedabad, they said. A 30-member medical team from the state is being flown to Gujarat.

Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna said it would medical teams to Gujarat along with food packets, clothes and blankets.

The Punjab Government was sending 50,000 blankets to the quake-hit areas, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said. The Political Affairs Committee of the ruling Akali Dal today passed a resolution mourning the loss of lives.

The Haryana Government has sent 10,000 blankets, 50 tonnes of rice and potatoes to Gujarat, an official spokesman said.

The Himachal ministers will donate their one month’s salary to the quake relief fund. The state Congress legislature party leader and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh asked party MLAs to send their one-month’s salary to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat Government had set up control rooms at Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Bhuj to provide latest information about the quake.

Information about relief measures can be had in the state control room from Deputy Director (Revenue) Sharad Rawal on (02712) 51901/02/03. At Kutch, the phone number of the control room is (02832) 50444.

In Ahmedabad, the control room is headed by Resident Deputy Collector H.K. Patel. Its phone numbers are (079 or 9579) 5508890 to 97, 5508445, 5508989, 5509960 and 5508130.