Orissa allocates Rs 25 crore for flood relief measures

Bhubaneswar, Jan 21 (UNI) Orissa government today allocated Rs 25 crore to undertake temporary restoration work in the five flood ravaged districts of Balasore, Bhardak, Mayurbhanja, Jajpur and Kendrapara district.

Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal said while Rs 10 crore was allocated to the Rural Development department, Water Resources Panchayatiraj and Work Departments were given Rs five crore each.

Mr Samal said permanent restoration work would be taken up in October after reviewing the post flood situation at a meeting with the Chief Minister this evening.

The Minister said flood situation had improved a lot and the water level was receding fast in all the major rivers in the flood hit districts.

Mr Samal said four Airforce helicopters were pressed for dropping food packets in the marooned areas and covered all the affected villages.

The government had requested the Union Defence Minister to provide one more helicopter to drop food packets to the needy people.

In total 66,491 kg of relief material had been dropped in the worst affected Blocks of Baliapal, Bhograi, Sadar, Jaleswar and Basta so far.

As many as 54 medical centres were opened in the five affected districts and 34 Medical teams were providing medicare to the people.

As many as 155 free kitchen centre were opened and rice, Chuda, polythene packets and cattle feed was given as emergency relief.

The flood claimed the lives of three people and affected around 13 lakh people in 21 blocks. As many as 887 villages were marooned and over 33,000 people were evacuated in the current flood in five districts.

Crop area over 64455 hectares of land were affected.

UNI BD AB 2158