Bhubaneswar: Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday directed district Collectors to expedite the disbursement of compensation to people affected by heavy rainfall and floods, with the state government aiming to complete the process in phases before Dussehra.
Pujari issued the direction during a high-level review meeting at the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) here, where he reviewed the situation with Collectors of Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Malkangiri, Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts.
Nearly 28 districts have been affected to varying degrees by prolonged spells of heavy rain and floods this year, while several parts of southern Odisha were impacted by rainfall associated with the recent Deep Depression, the minister said.
So far, ₹241.37 crore has been disbursed as compensation to affected people by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department and the Special Relief Commissioner’s Office.
Recently, ₹5 crore was released to Nabarangpur, ₹2 crore each to Ganjam and Gajapati, and ₹1 crore to Jharsuguda for compensation-related assistance.
The minister said Kendrapada had received ₹16.04 crore, of which around ₹11.21 crore had been disbursed. Jajpur was provided ₹52.04 crore, with approximately ₹33.80 crore already disbursed, while Bhadrak had received ₹64.54 crore and utilised ₹43.28 crore.
Similarly, Balasore was provided ₹26.92 crore, of which around ₹5.94 crore had so far been utilised for compensation.
Pujari said repeated spells of rainfall had made damage assessment difficult, but the compensation process had been accelerated. He directed the district administrations to ensure that eligible beneficiaries receive assistance within the stipulated timeframe.
He also said the government would hold consultations with Collectors, senior officials, experts and concerned institutions to strengthen disaster-resilient infrastructure across the state.
The meeting was attended by Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Southern Division RDC Sangram Keshari Mahapatra, Additional SRC Padmanabha Behera and senior departmental officials. The Collectors participated through video conferencing.
