Baleswar MP Rabindra Kumar Jena, expressing serious concern over the recent floods and lightning strikes in Odisha in the lok Sabha, urged the intervention of the Central Government for necessary measures.
He said in last two days, Saturday and Sunday, as many as 33 people across the State succumbed to the lightning strikes while devastating floods caused severe damages and losses.
Jena, besides mentioning that the Government of Odisha bringing it under the list of natural calamities has extended Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of those killed in the lightning, demanded that Rs 10 lakh ex gratia compensation should be given by the Central Government on the front. large scale research for predicting lightning like some advanced countries to mitigate the crisis needs to be made, Jena stated.
Jena further stated that the recent floods have caused massive damages in Odisha and particularly in Baleswar district, several lakhs have been hit and several hundred hectares of agriculture field were affected.
As several villages were marooned and agriculture fields remained submerged under flood water for days together, it caused damages to both the communication infrastructure as well as the crops. The affected farmers who lost their crops and livelihood should be given compensation by the Centre , Jena demanded.