The State Government would submit an interim memorandum to the Centre by Monday next, seeking assistance for the loss of large scale lives and properties due to the twin calamity of storm and floods that wrecked havoc in 17 districts.
Chief Secretary JK Mohapatra asked the concerned departments to provide realistic and credible reports on the damages of property and loss of life. “With affected areas gradually limping back to normal, the State Government is in the process of preparing a memorandum on the damage and loss of life and property. The report would be submitted to the Central Government within next two-three days seeking required assistance to meet the ongoing relief, restoration and rehabilitation work,” said Mohapatra after a review of the latest post-calamity situation here at the State Secretariat on Friday.
Mohapatra said that the respective departments and the District Collectors had been asked to send damage reports as per the new NDRF guidelines. “The damage reports should be realistic and credible,” he said.
Stating that relief and restoration work is now on war footing, the Chief Secretary said that the concerned district authorities had been asked to maintain utmost transparency in relief distribution and maintain a distribution record in a prescribed format.
Meanwhile, officially, the death toll in the twin calamity increased to 44 by Friday with recovery of one more body from flood affected Bhadrak district. While human casualty due to flood was 21, the death in floods increased to 23.
According to Special Relief Commissioner PK Mohapatra, flood has receded in all the four districts baring a few pockets. The people have returned to their homes except in some villages in Baleswar and Mayurbhanj. Around 34,400 people are in relief camps which include 27,400 in two camps of Baleswar district and 7,000 in another two camps of Mayurbhanj district. These people will return to their home by tomorrow, he said.
However, the Collectors of the two districts have been advised to allow those staying in camps if their homes are severely damaged and they are not able to return. The Collectors have been asked to ensure provision of cooked food and other necessary emergency relief in the camps, he said.
Stating that relief distribution to the families in affected areas has been taken up on a war footing, he said that so far more than 2.21 lakh families including 1, 53,082 families in Ganjam, 1,481 in Jagatsinghpur, 13,705 in Jajpur, 6,360 in Keonjhar, 12,574 in Khurda, 10,857 in Mayurbhanj and 23,446 families in Puri district had already been distributed their entitlements as per the package announced by the Chief Minister. The relief distribution had been taken up in campaign mode in other affected districts as well, he said.
The SRC said adequate rice, money and polythene had been made available in all the districts. Additional number of polythene pieces in required quantity was being sent to Baleswar, Ganjam and Nayagarh districts, he informed.
Pointing out that restoration of road communication was in final stage, Mohapatra said road connectivity for transportation of emergent relief had been restored to all block and panchayat headquarters. Nearly 97 per cent of gram panchayat and Panchayat samiti roads had been opened up, he said, adding that the balance rural roads would be cleared up within 24 to 48 hours.
Women and Child Development Secretary Arati Ahuja said that out of 41,456 Anganwadi centers in 15 affected districts, 39,143 had already been reopened. The balance 2,313 would be reopened soon by shifting them to safe houses. Ahuja hoped that all these centers would be made functional by October 24.
Since all the primary and secondary schools would be opened from Saturday, the Chief Secretary warned the department authorities to check up the structural safety of the buildings where the schools are being run and ensure supply of MDM in them.
Mohapatra also said that authorities of the Rural Development and the Health & Family Welfare departments had been asked to take up awareness programme to warn people not to use water from ponds, rivers or other contaminated sources. All the ward members who are the presidents of their Goan Kalyan Samitis have been asked to utilize the funds of the samiti in cleaning the villages and taking adequate public health measures, he said.