Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Bijayshree Routray on Monday said the State Government has decided to set up 10 more Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) units to take up restoration and relief works during floods and cyclones in the State. “While all districts are affected by floods, six coastal districts and adjoining districts like Mayurbhan, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Khordha, Nayagarh and Gajapati are affected by cyclone.
To provide safety to people during natural calamity, cyclone shelters and flood shelters have been constructed. Similarly, 10 ODRAF units have been set up and 10 more will come up to undertake restoration and relief works,” the Minister said while replying to a question of BJD member Dr Ramesh Chandra Chyaupatnaik in the State Assembly.Member Prafulla Samal participated in the discussion on behalf of Dr Chyaupatnaik.
The Minster informed that out total 879 shelters, 352 cyclone shelters and 75 flood shelters have been set up. The rest shelters include 336 flood shelters. He said though flood affects every district, yet districts like Baleswar, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Kendrapada, jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Puri, Khordha, Nayagarh, Boudh, Subarnapur, Sambalpur and Angul districts get more affected.
Members like Padmanabh Behera, Amar Prasad Satpathy, Pradip Purohit, Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Dhaneswar Majhi, Aswini Kumar Patra, Rabinarayan Naik, Subal Sahu, leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra, BJP legislature Party leader Basant Panda, Bed Prakash Agrawalla, Rohit Pujari, Samir Ranjan Dash, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Radharani Panda, Prafulla Majhi and Surya Narayan Patro put questions on what measures the State Government has taken to mitigate floods that affect their respective areas due to rivers flowing in their region.