Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik has urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to ensure immediate relief, compensation and rehabilitation for people affected by the recent floods in Ganjam district. He has also demanded that the State Government fix accountability for alleged administrative lapses that, according to him, aggravated the crisis.
In a letter to the Chief Minister on Tuesday, Patnaik said he had visited flood-affected areas of Hinjili, Sheragada, Aska and Sorada on November 7 and interacted with farmers, women, small traders and other residents who had suffered extensive losses.
Expressing concern over the scale of destruction, he said the floods had damaged infrastructure, destroyed crops, claimed lives and disrupted livelihoods. He alleged that negligence and lack of preparedness on the part of the State Government had worsened the situation.
Patnaik questioned the timing of water release from dams during the cyclone-related rainfall. He pointed out that the India Meteorological Department’s early warning had been issued on October 23 and said dam water levels should have been monitored round the clock following the cyclone alert.
According to him, standard operating procedures for cyclone and flood management require adequate water to be released from dams before heavy rainfall. However, he alleged that the Water Resources Department released water after intense cyclonic rainfall had begun, worsening the flooding and resulting in significant losses.
He also claimed that people were not adequately warned before the dam gates were opened and demanded action against those responsible for the alleged lapses.
The BJD president further questioned the government’s preparedness despite advance weather warnings and the known vulnerability of Ganjam to heavy rainfall associated with cyclones. He alleged that delayed rescue and relief operations left people stranded for days without food and drinking water.
Patnaik said he had received several representations from affected residents during his visit and forwarded them to the Special Relief Commissioner for necessary action.
Calling for an impartial rehabilitation and reconstruction programme, he urged the government to provide timely compensation and support to farmers, women, youth, small traders and other affected sections.
He said a coordinated, whole-of-government approach was necessary to restore people’s confidence and warned that the BJD would raise the issue at every available platform, from villages to New Delhi, if the government failed to act.
Patnaik also referred to the community-based disaster management system developed during the previous BJD government, highlighting the role of sarpanches, Panchayati Raj Institution members and Mission Shakti groups in disaster response.
He alleged that the BJP government had weakened this system by neglecting elected grassroots representatives and reducing the role of Mission Shakti.
Referring to previous natural disasters in Kendrapada, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Baleshwar, Patnaik said repeated shortcomings in disaster management had caused hardship to people and affected families and communities.
He urged the State Government to review the disaster management mechanisms and institutions developed over the past 24 years and ensure that their functioning was not undermined.
The former Chief Minister said the government must take responsibility for the situation and ensure that administrative negligence did not translate into further suffering for the people of Ganjam.
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