Senior BJP leader and former Assembly Deputy Speaker Rama Chandra Panda visited Hudhud-affected panchayats of Gajapati district to assess the situation.
He visited labniyagarh, Gurandi, Baghasala, Agarkhandi,Amara, Dalimbapur, Kerandi, Chelipada, R Udayagiri villages under Gosani, Raigada and R Udayagiri blocks and interacted with the affected farmers and citizens. Among others, advocate Sidheswar Mishra, BJP youth leaders Gouranga Mama, Sunil Mahapatro, Babuna Behera and Shyam Panigrahi accompanied Panda.
later, talking to mediapersons, Panda regretted that the Chief Minister could not visit the district headquarters to assess the situation in Gajapati that was one of the worst-hit districts.
Panda said that the tribal farmers were ruined because of a series of natural calamities, including the Hudhud. He lamented that the Government is yet to provide compensation to the tribals and other farmers who lost maize crops and paddy.
Panda demanded an enquiry into delays in construction of embankment in the Mahendratanaya river near villages Kerandi and Baghasala where the river flooded the banks causing sand casting to agriculture lands. He also demanded action against the contractors for delay in completing the portion of the State highway between Chalipada and Rudayagiri as well as a portion of road between Tumba and Burukhat pass.
The construction had taken over eight years while the target was to complete them in three years. The road construction delay has adversely impacted the communication and economic interest of tribals, Panda said. He suggested that in view of recurring natural calamities, the administration should set up a maize unit to deal with cultivation, production and sale of maize which is the major economic activity of 10 lakh tribal farmers. Panda also drew the attention of Union Communication Minister Rabi Shanker Prasad about poor BSNl network in affected blocks and sought his intervention for improvement in the situation.