Bhubaneswar: Four armed forces helicopters have begun airdropping food packets at 21 locations in Odisha’s flood-hit Ganjam district to provide relief to people stranded in inaccessible areas in the aftermath of Cyclone ‘Arnab’, officials said on Friday.
The aerial relief operation has been launched to ensure the supply of essential food items to people in areas where road connectivity has been disrupted by flooding, making it difficult for rescue and relief teams to reach the affected population.
The helicopters are carrying food packets and dropping them at designated locations, where personnel stationed on the ground will collect the relief materials and distribute them among affected and marooned people, according to a statement issued by the Odisha Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department.
Earlier, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari had announced that the Indian Navy would undertake aerial food drops at 21 identified locations in Ganjam district.
The locations include three in Hinjilicut, seven in Purushottampur, and two each in Surada, Dharakote, Asika, Bellaguntha and Chikiti, besides locations in the Bhanjanagar area.
The respective block development officers (BDOs) and executive officers have been instructed to prepare food packets and hand them over to the Navy for aerial distribution, Pujari had said.
