Bhubaneswar, July 28 (IANS) Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Monday asserted that the state government would provide adequate financial aid for the damage caused by the recent floods in different parts of Odisha within 24 hours of receiving reports from the collectors and secretaries of the concerned departments.
“We have fixed a deadline to release the financial aid within 24 hours after receipt of the report from the district collectors and secretaries of different departments. We have also held discussions with the Chief Minister regarding carrying out an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas on Tuesday, if weather conditions remain favourable,” said Pujari.
The minister also stated that he is planning to visit different flood-affected areas during the assessment of damages and the payment of compensation to review the whole process. Pujari further assured that those who suffered damages would definitely receive adequate compensation. The collectors of Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Keonjhar, and Sundargarh have been instructed to provide cooked food to those staying in shelters and dry food to people residing in their homes in flood-affected areas of the state.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the state water resources department on Monday informed that the water level in all major rivers in the state is receding. The officer stated that the water level in the Subarnarekha River, which experienced flooding on Sunday, is also receding and is flowing below the danger mark.
He also noted that the flood situation in Jajpur and Bhadrak districts also improved on Tuesday, and the flood water entered into the low-lying areas will gradually drain out. The officer stated that, fortunately, no breaches were reported on the Baitarani River during Sunday’s flood. However, a breach did occur on the Jalaka River at Jambhira in Mayurbhanj district, and efforts are on to restore it through repair.
–IANS
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