While thousands of victims have not got due compensation 15 years after the Super Cyclone struck the State, reconstruction work in several areas too has been far from satisfactory.
Reports said that almost all schools in Jagatsinghpur district were either damaged or razed to the ground in the cyclone that hit the State on October 29, 1999. Many were rebuilt due to funds that poured in from different sources but later, they were not maintained. As a result, again the newly built buildings got damaged.
Official reports indicate that nearly 801 OBB school buildings were constructed in Jagatsinghpur district at `16 crore. As many as 972 primary schools and 192 high schools too were repaired after the cyclone. The Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and Paradip Phosphates limited (PPl) had built 181 school buildings each costing `3.50 lakh. 30 buildings had been built in four blocks by the National Project Construction Corporation.
Under the Chief Minister Relief Fund, nearly eight school buildings and cyclone shelters had been constructed at `10 lakh each. The Maharashtra Government had adopted Jagatsinghpur district and constructed about 52 schools cum cyclone shelters at `18 lakh.
The Indian Overseas Bank, TATA, Reserve Bank of India, RK Mission, Hudco and CYSD, besides several State Governments, also had built several buildings. Further, 17 school buildings had been constructed under MPlAD funds.
Official records show that after completion of these school buildings they were immediately handed over to the school authorities. The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority [OSDMA] was authorised to supervise the work and monitor the quality of construction, even as the school authorities and local PRI representatives had ignored to look after the construction. Years later, all these school buildings required maintenance, but the donors refused to spend further. As a result, most of the buildings got damaged and turned out to be unsafe.
Two years ago, the district administration had faced an awkward situation when a Parliamentary committee visited Jagatsinghpur district to check out the cyclone shelters funded under the MPlAD funds. The district Collector had called an urgent meeting and instructed the SSA authority to repair the buildings forthwith. The Parliamentary committee came but visited only three cyclone shelters, including two in Biridi block and one in Jagatsinghpur, to the great relief of the district administration. The panel members, nevertheless, expressed displeasure over the status of the buildings and had instructed the civil administration to take care of them.
According to one Sandeep Panda, a civil engineer, each building needs some yearly maintenance expenditure for its smooth longevity.
“It is described during the project estimate is made. At least 2 per cent of the project cost can be kept for maintenance, but most contractors do not do it,” he said.
On the other hand, the school authorities said in the absence of any exclusive maintenance fund, the school buildings could not be repaired. Nobody took the risk of diverting the SSA fund for the purpose, they said. SSA funds cannot be diverted for maintenance, clarified District Project Coordinator, SSA.
However, OSDMA sources said for the multi-purpose cyclone shelters, annually `50,000 is provided for maintenance of each building.
Now the big question is should the buildings which were built by spending crores of rupees be allowed to go waste without provision of any exclusive maintenance fundsIJ