Naveen politicising relief in flood hit areas: NCP

Bhubaneswar,Sep 30 (UNI) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Orissa President Bijaya Mohapatra today alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his council of ministers were more concerned about publicity rather than providing succor to the flood victims.

Mr Mohapatra said the NCP leaders, who toured the flood hit areas of Puri, Cuttack and Kendrapada found that even ten days after the flood devastated the coastal pockets, no relief materials had reached the affected.

The Naveen Patnaik government, he alleged, had failed on all fronts-- be it handling the communal violence in Kandhmal or the relief operation in the flood-hit areas.

He said such was the situation in many relief camps that the officials were not able to face the hungry people and relief materials were being siphoned off by the party workers.

He dubbed the visit of the Chief Minister to various relief camps as a ''pleasure trip'' and asked him to stop politicising his visit.

The NCP President said the government has issued orders that the Sarpanch would be in charge of relief operation in the villages but in practice they are being deprived of handling the relief operation and it has almost become a party affair leaving the people to be at the mercy of the BJD-BJP workers to get the relief.

UNI DP KK/SRC SK VC2000