The industrial houses setting up their plants here seem to be callous towards the plight of the local people who are suffering due to the Phailin. This has led to widespread resentment among the people.
About 16 industrial and mining establishments are operating here by using land, water and other natural resources of the district. The Government has also done nothing substantial to alleviate the woes of the affected people. The district administration, which used to ask the industrial houses for donations to organise cultural, sports and other programmes from time to time, has miserably failed to mobilise any relief from them for the calamity victims. Asked, District Collector Ranjit Mohanty said, “The situation is not as bad here as it is in other parts of the State; hence industrial houses need not be told to pay for relief.”
As per the estimates, apart from two deaths, around 2.48 lakh people in 994 villages of the district have been affected by the Phailin. Horticulture and agricultural crops of 12,382.31 hectares of land have been damaged and nearly 3,388 houses have been destroyed. However, thousands of severely-affected people have been excluded from the above estimate.
Till now, people at many places, including at Bantala, Tikarpada, Chhendipada, Jarapada, Athamallik, Palalahara and Kaniha are taking shelter elsewhere and even some are staying under the open sky with a polythene sheet as their houses have been razed. Workers at 28 industrial slums have been severely affected due to the cyclone and subsequent rains and are going without work, wage, food and shelter.
The small businessmen have also lost everything as both Durga Puja and Gajalakshmi Puja washed away due the calamities. Disparaging such attitude of the industrial houses, president of Citizens’ Action Forum RP Pattanaik, in a letter to the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary, has requested to take serious view of this matter.