BJP demands early aid to cyclone Yaas-affected in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Wednesday hit out at the State government for its shoddy post-cyclone Yaas management and said the affected people are forced to live in darkness even after nine days of the calamity.

Senior BJP leader and former Revenue Minister, Manmohan Samal, after his return from an extensive tour of affected areas in Bhadrak and Balasore districts said the cyclone has exposed the loopholes in State government’s preparedness to tackle the calamity.

"Hundreds of people in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendrapara districts are still marooned and power supply has not been restored to many villages which are still cut off due to non-restoration of road connectivity," Samal told media persons here.

Coming down heavily on the State government for making lofty claims on effective post-cyclone management, Samal, the head of the BJP's State coordination committee for monitoring rescue, relief and rehabilitation of cyclone-hit people said the district administrations concerned have not yet made a proper assessment of the damage.

Placing nine demands before the state government, Samal said housing assistance and crop damage compensation should reach the affected people within two weeks. "The Prime Minister had sanctioned 8.15 lakh pucca houses under rural housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). The State government should convert all the kutcha houses into pucca buildings in the cyclone-prone areas," he demanded.

The former Minister asked the government to clarify how many families affected by cyclone Fani and Amphan are yet to get housing assistance.

Accusing the government of selecting beneficiaries and allocating houses under PMAY on party lines, he asked the ruling BJD to explain why so many houses were damaged in the affected areas. He further urged the government to waive off farm loans in the cyclone-hit regions and sanction fresh loans.