Congress submits memo to Governor

BHUBANESWAR: The OPCC on Monday demanded adequate financial assistance from the Centre for rehabilitation of the flood-affected families and reconstruction works.A Congress delegation led by OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik called on Governor MC Bhandare and submitted a memorandum requesting the Centre to come to the rescue of the affected families by extending more financial assistance to the State.While parts of 16 districts are facing drought due to deficient rainfall in July and August, 21 districts are completely devastated by two spells of flood. Recurring natural calamities have shattered the economy and the farmers of the State are the worst-hit, the memorandum said.Alleging that the recent floods in the State were ‘man-made’, Patnaik told the Governor that the back-to-back floods were due to mismanagement of the Hirakud and the Rengali dams by the State Government.Had the Government managed the water level in the two reservoirs properly, the State could have been saved from the flood fury, he said and accused the Government of foisting the floods to gain political mileage in the ensuing panchayat elections.It was evident from the distribution of food packets carrying BJD symbol, Patnaik reasoned and added the Government politicised the relief distribution.The Opposition party further alleged that the BJD Government had miserably failed in rescue and relief operation. People of the marooned villages went without food for nearly 10 days as the Government failed to deliver relief materials.The delegation further said the recent floods breached a large number of river embankments due to poor maintenance. The district headquarters town of Jajpur is virtually cut off. The collapse of Rudhia bridge has disrupted the link between the town and the NH-5.The Congress demanded a temporary bridge till a permanent one is constructed. The other demands of the party include waiver of agriculture loan, fresh loan for rabi cultivation, immediate restoration of lift irrigation points and reconstruction of damaged river embankments.Senior leaders Anant Prasad Sethi, Nalinikanta Mohanty, Prasad Harichandan, Ramachandra Khuntia, NK Mishra and Debasis Patnaik were part of the delegation.