Even as a Central team arrived here to take stock of the damages created by floods in the district, north Baleswar, comprising blocks of Jaleswar, Basta, Baliapal and Bhograi, was still far from normal.
These blocks have been affected by the swelling of rivers Subarnarekha and Jalka. Both of the rivers were well above the danger level till afternoon. Although the water level of these rivers was declining, yet several villages remained deluged. Sources said as many as 30 villages under seven gram panchayats (GPs) out of 32 GPs of Bhograi block were worst hit by the recent floods.
They were Kharidpipali, Kusuda, Nachinda, Rasalpur , Jayram Naagar, Mahagaba and Baunsadiha. Whereas in Jaleswar, the affected GPs were Baiganbaia, Paschimbad, RR Purand and Paikasita, in Baliapal as many as 55 villages under 10 GPs including Bishnupur and Baliapal were hit. The worst affected villages were Rasalpur, Routraypur and Chida. At least, 17 houses in these villages reportedly collapsed during the floods. In Basta block, at least 60 villages under nine GPs were hit by the recent floods. On Monday, several villagers under Gadapada GP of Basta block led by the local BJP wing staged a dharana in front of the block office, demanding timely and adequate succor.
The agitators alleged their GP was excluded from the flood hit list deliberately by the authorities, who were discriminating on political ground. BJP leader Shyampada Behera alleged that only under pressure of the ruling party leaders of the locality, the GP was excluded. It was in the list after floods in 2008. But the flood was found at a small scale then than now, he stated.
Meanwhile, there have been complaints that many relief bags marked as containing 50 kg of rice contained less. “Each 50 kg bag distributed among the victims contains at least two kg less,” a few complainants said. The district sources informed that the central team visited Badapal GP of Remuna and was scheduled to visit some more affected GPs, including Odongi and Sadar area. The damage loss caused was pegged at Rs 522 crore in the district.