Slow pace of relief and restoration in rural areas of cyclone hit Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: A week after cyclone Fani devastated coastal Odisha, urban areas in the state are slowly limping back to normalcy while the relief and restoration work in rural areas is appallingly slow. People in rural areas of the five affected districts of Khurda, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada have to struggle for several more days for basic amenities like clean drinking water, electricity and relief materials.
Only 24% of cyclone victims have recieved cash assistance, 33.59% victims have recieved rice and 16.89% people got polythenes so far in the four affected districts of Khurda, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack including Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) areas. Only 20.6% victims have recieved additional monthly pension.
The progress in the worst affected Puri district is still untraceable, informed Sanjay Singh, secretary information and public relations department.
"The relief distribution process started only after May 7 after the road blockades due to falling of large number of trees got cleared. But the district administrations have been asked to expedite the process of relief and restoration," Singh added.
The government had announced Rs 2,000 cash assistancce, 50kg rice and polythene to each family covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA) or state food security schemes.
Singh said, only 50% rural piped water schemes have been restored in Jajpurand Jagatsinghpur districtd and in parts of Khurda and Cuttack districts. "Of the 283 piped water schemes in Khurda districts only 90 are made operational. In Puri district only 20% piped water schemes are working," Singh said adding the target for 100% restoration of rural piped water schemes by May 13.
Similarly the pace of power restoration is abysmally slow in rural areas compared to urban localities. "We are close to the target of 80% power restoration in Bhubaneswar by May 10, and may achieve it by Friday midnight. But in rural areas it may take some more days. In Cuttack the target in rural areas for complete restoration of power is May 15," Singh said.
In terms of telecom network, only 42% mobile towers have started functioning in the affected districts leading to slow telephone connectivity. In Puri only 14% mobile towers are working, however, landline phones in the tourist town are being restored on priority basis.
The devastating cyclone Fani has caused severe loss to livelihood of fishermen communities. As many as 6500 boats got damaged in the cyclone of which 4700 are in Puri and 1500 in Chilika alone. Around 7500 fishing nets and 300 hectares of fish ponds including 250 hectares in Puri, official sources said. "As per preliminary survey the damage estimated in fisheries sector is around Rs 10.37 crore," Singh pointed out.
Meanwhile, the state government announced financial incentives for three gram panchayats in each block of worst affected Puri district to encourage them to take up releif and restoration work expeditiously. The first, second and third gram panchayats will get cash award of Rs 5 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively.