Bhubaneswar: Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday took stock of the flood situation in Puri district and assured that the state government stands with all affected people.
“Money is not a barrier in dealing with the disaster and providing assistance to the affected people,” the Minister said after visiting flood-hit areas and chairing a review meeting at the Puri Special Circuit House.
According to District Collector Divyajyoti Parida, 19 villages across 14 panchayats in Puri Sadar, Nimapada, Pipili, Delanga and Kanas blocks have been affected. A total of 17,221 people have been impacted.
The affected villages include Shagada panchayat in Nimapada; Pubasasan, Kanthi, Poparanga and Bharatipur panchayats in Pipili; Badash, Dokanda, Pandiakera and Gadhabalbhadrapur panchayats in Kanas; and Singhbarhampur panchayat in Delang. Relief distributed so far includes 46.07 quintals of flattened rice and 5.325 quintals of jaggery.
As per the preliminary report of the Agriculture Department, about 3778.26 hectares of agricultural land has been affected.
The administration has deployed 6 medical teams, 12 fire service units and 11 veterinary units. Officials said 20 pregnant women were shifted to nearby health centres during the floods and 9 infants were born in this period.Long-term measures discussed
In the review meeting, Satyabadi MLA Om Prakash Mishra and Pipili MLA Ashrit Patnaik raised local flood and post-flood issues and suggested solutions.
Pujari said the government is preparing a plan to manage situations even if 12 lakh cusecs of water reaches Munduli in Cuttack, to prevent rivers in the region from getting affected.
He directed all departments to assess the damage. “A report will be prepared soon through a joint investigation. Assistance will be provided to the affected people on the basis of that report,” he said.
Senior administrative officers of the district were present at the meeting.
