Lightning claims over 200 lives every year in Orissa

Bhubaneswar, June 6 (UNI) Orissa has demanded that lightning should also be treated as natural calamities like flood and cyclone and compensation should be made accordingly.

According to official sources, on an average more than 200 people were killed every year due to lightning in the state.

A record number of 279 people had been killed in 2004, while the toll in 2003 was put at 224 and 214 during 2005.

This year alone so far 46 people had been killed in the state as lightning struck them at various places. Till May last the toll due to lightning was 37 but it shot up to 46 with nine more deaths reported on a single day on Saturday last.

The tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district had topped the casualty list with 59 deaths reported in lightning during 2003-2005, followed by Dhenkanal(53) and Cuttack (51).

The other six districts where the lightning had also taken heavy toll during 2003-2005 were Sundaragarh(44), Balasore(39), Ganjam(37), Kendrapada, Jajpur and Nayagarh(36 each).

This year during the last three months a maximum seven people each were killed in lightning in Angul, Cuttack and Nawarangpur districts followed by five in Dhenkanal district.

The state government had been paying an ex-gratia of Rs 10,000 to the next kin of those killed in lightning from the Chief Minister's relief fund. The government had been demanding that death in lightning be treated as natural calamities so that the victims family would receive a compensation of Rs 50,000.

But such a proposal of the government had been rejected by the Centre on the ground that budgetary provision on this account had not been reflected by the Finance Commission.

UNI DP SJC AD BST1904