BJD playing relief politics, says Oram

BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Saturday slammed the Government for utterly failing to come to the rescue of the marooned people and undertake relief operation in the flood- affected areas.‘’The disaster has exposed the lack of preparedness of the Government to handle even a medium flood,’’ said BJP State president  Jual Oram after visiting the flood-affected areas in Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Kendrapara districts. Calling the Government’s bluff of having sufficient stock of ration, cattle feed, boats and other emergency materials in the flood-prone areas, Oram alleged that the affected people went without relief for nearly a week. Many areas in Marshaghai and nearby blocks were not accessible due to heavy current of floodwater. He said the Government is yet to put a mechanism in place to monitor rescue and relief operations at the ground level. The district and local administrations proved ineffective in the absence of proper directions from the top. Alleging politics in the distribution of relief, Oram said relief materials, supplied by the Government, are being stocked by local MPs, MLAs, district and block level functionaries of the ruling BJD for distribution at a later stage. People in Nimapara, Kanas and Delanga of Puri district complained that the BJD MLAs and local leaders were distributing relief materials on party lines.  ‘’I have no doubt that the Government is playing relief politics keeping an eye on the ensuing elections to the three-tier panchayati raj institutions,’’ he remarked. Oram, who visited the affected areas of Kendrapara district on Friday, said the common complaint from the people was that none of river embankments, susceptible to breach, was strengthened during the last few years. In some areas, people suffered due to dispute between contractors over work rights for repair of embankments, he said adding this precisely was the reason for people assaulting a junior engineer in Puri district. Countering the Government’s claim that medical teams have been sent to the affected areas, Oram said wherever he visited people  complained that not a single medical team had visited them.