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Naveen seeks final reports on flood damage

BHUBANESWAR: Even as relief eluded many flood-hit people and Opposition parties continued their criticism of the State government’s relief operations, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to submit final reports on the damages caused by the floods within four days.

The Chief Minister issued the orders while reviewing the progress in the relief operations and the measures aimed at rehabilitation, healthcare and supply of drinking water in the flood affected areas at a high-level meeting at the State Secretariat here. Mr. Patnaik also issued instructions for steps to be taken for removing sand deposits from agricultural land and arrangements for supply of paddy seed in the affected areas.

It was revealed during the review that a large number of free kitchens had been opened in the worst-hit areas in Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, Jajpur and Kendrapara districts.

More than 23,000 quintals of rice and 4,800 quintals of flattened rice had been distributed as relief in the affected districts. A total of 4,78,900 drinking water pouches had been distributed so far and the government was planning to distribute another 4,23,500 pouches in the flood-hit pockets. However, it was revealed that only 2426 polythene sheets had been distributed among those whose houses had been washed away or completely damaged by the floods. Reports from Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts indicated that hundreds of families were facing difficult times as they had not been supplied polythene sheets till Wednesday. Although flood waters receded, fresh rain in some areas had added to their woes. According to reports, many hamlets were still marooned in interior areas of Balasore district. Although the State government had stopped using helicopters for dropping food materials on Monday, Biju Janata Dal Rajya Sabha Member Baijayanta Panda took personal initiative and air-dropped a large number of packets containing relief materials in those pockets on Wednesday. Meanwhile, East Coast Railway authorities said they had been able to repair the damaged portions of railway track between Bakhrabad and Narayangarh in Kharagpur-Balasore section of Howrah-Chennai main line. Presently, goods trains are running on this temporary track on experimental basis, and the moment the track will be fit for running of passenger trains, Railway administration shall run some passenger trains, the Railway authorities said.

“Efforts are being made for further strengthening the line so that passenger trains can run safely at the earliest,” they added.

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