A knot forms in Sulochana Rout’s stomach whenever the skies darken and the wind picks up. For the 59-year-old widow from Kiranti village under Tirtol block in Jagatsinghpur district, it brings back memories of the fateful Super Cyclone of October 29, 1999 when a catastrophic gale hit her mud thatched house.
She and her two children managed to escape unhurt from the debris, but Sulochana’s septuagenarian mother- in- law Sita Rout sustained severe injuries as a wall collapsed on her and she succumbed to her injuries the next day. Though 16 years have passed, poor Sulochana is yet to get compensation money for her deceased mother-in-law.
“The screaming of my mother-in-law crying for help still resounds in my ears and the fateful day when she died in absence of any medical treatment, her body could not be properly cremated and was just thrown to Hansua river. Ananda Marg, volunteers working for the dead body disposal, recovered the body and lit fire on the decomposed body a few days later,” moaned Suolochana. Furthermore the woman added that she lost her mental balance during that time and underwent counseling in NGO Action Aid- managed Mamatagruha in Erasama before she became normal.
But her plight failed to move the heartless Babus of the district. She had to run from pillar to post for years for getting ex gratia amount of Rs75,000 for loss of her mother -in- law but in vain. The sky crashed on her when Jagatsinghpur district Collector on July 20 last rejected her application citing the reason that Sita Rout had not died due to cyclone in 1999. It was based on an inquiry report furnished by the Tirtol Tehsildar.
The Tehsildar in his report informed that the death certificate issued by Manijanga hospital reveals that Sita Rout had died on October 30, 1999 vide registration no 631/99 following information given by village health worker but another Revenue department inquiry conducted on January 6, 2000 stated Sita Rout had died on October 31, 1999 due to wall collapse. The Tehsildar has said that the truth should be ascertained.
Strangely without determining Sita Rout’s death date and proper examination of claimant’s version, the Additional District Magistrate, Jagatsinghpur, rejected the claim of ex gratia assistance of Sita Rout.
After the Super Cyclone, the State Government had decided to give Rs 75,000 each to next of kin of those who died in the disaster on October 29 and30 in 1999. However, acting on a direction of the Odisha High Court, it made only those who died subsequently due to the injuries sustained in the cyclone eligible for compensations.
The court had later clarified that there is no intelligible distinction between people who died on the date of cyclone and who died subsequently due to injuries sustained in the cyclone. Responding to the court’s order, the Revenue department in letter No - 48610 dated October 19, 2000 instructed the district Collectors of the cyclone hit districts to constitute a committee to determine the deaths during cyclone but the instruction was yet to be implemented properly.
After getting details of the case from the claimant, this correspondent met Additional District Magistrate [ADM] Saran Kumar Jena three months back. After being satisfied with the pleading, ADM Jena agreed to reopen the case after receiving a formal request letter from the claimant. Acting on the event the victim claimant lodged a fresh application.
The district Collector asked the Sub Collector, Jagatsinghpur, to conduct a spot verification and make fresh inquiry in the case and file a report. Meanwhile, two months have passed and claimant Sulochan Rout has met the Sub Collector three times and requested him for the inquiry but her efforts have yielded no results.
When contacted, Sub Collector Narahari Sethy told that he has conducted an inquiry and submit a report.