The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Chief Secretary to take appropriate action within eight weeks over the allegation of deprivation of relief and rehabilitation during and post Phailin in Madhapur, Gobindpur and Kaujodi villages of Bhadrak district, thereby violating their basic human rights.
The apex human rights panel registered the case based on a petition filed by right activist and lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy.
The complainant alleged that the State Government especially Bhadrak district administration has failed miserably to ensure relief and rehabilitation of the victims especially the poor, barely literate, marginalised residents of Madhapur and its adjacent Gram Panchayats in Chandbali block and Govindpur and its neighbouring villages of Tihidi block of Bhadrak district.
Constructing the earth dam across the river Salandi is a challenging task. To design a strategy all the villagers, including women, gathered for a meeting where it was decided to collect between `100 and `200 from each family as per their economic status, the petitioner said.
The villagers said over 25 hectares of paddy fields in Purusottampur, Baulajoda, Garipur, Dhanakhania, Malisahi, Krushnapur, Rameshwarpur and Karandimala villages surrounded by the Salandi and the Baitarani rivers had remained water-logged during harvest period. The flood water entered paddy fields through the Malisahi rivulet and damage about to-be harvested crops, Radhakanta pointed out.
He urged the Commission to send a team of officials to assess the situation and direct the State to immediately provide relief and rehabilitation to the victims, construct bridges and sluice gates at appropriate places and extend them communication facilities by all-weather roads and ensure basic human rights including Primary health centres, education facilities etc.