Air-dropping stopped, villages still cut-off

BHUBANESWAR: As moody weather played havoc with the people taking shelter on roads and embankments, the Government was on Thursday forced to stop air-dropping.Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro claimed air-dropping of food packets was stopped since most of the flood-hit villages are now accessible by road and water. But Energy Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak disputed. “It will take another couple of days to reach the villages cut off from the mainland,” he said.In fact, contrary to the claims of the Revenue Minister, reports from Kendrapara, one of the worst-affected districts, said many villages in Marshaghai blocks are neither accessible by water nor road. IAF officials said in Kolkata that rains and low clouds along with winds have hampered the food  dropping by two MI helicopters pressed into service for past two days.Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who took stock of the situation, asked the officials to start restoration measures immediately.The Rural Development Department on Thursday claimed to have bridged 30 out of 469 breaches on 928 rural roads in 95 flood-affected blocks. The remaining breaches will be repaired as soon as the water recedes, Principal Secretary of the Department SN Tripathy said and added that it will cost  Rs. 17 crore.Works Secretary Suvendu Ray said 258 roads of the department were damaged and 31 breaches have been reported so far. While 11 breaches have been bridged, another eight breaches will be mended within a day or two.Cross drainage system at 12 points was badly damaged and the restoration work will be taken up after water recedes. It has been estimated to cost  Rs. 20 crore, he said.Non-availability of safe drinking water is most pressing problem in the flood-affected areas.While 285 pipe water supply systems were damaged by the floods, the Rural Development Department has restored 55 systems and disinfected 4,867 out of 13,402 submerged tube-wells. The Department has pressed 262 teams into service to disinfect the tube-wells, Tripathy said.The Water Resources Department has taken measures to close 49 breaches on different river embankments within the next two days, Special Revenue Commissioner Pradipta Mohapatra informed.  Health Secretary Anu Garg said no major outbreak of disease has been reported. After visiting the flood-affected Delanga and Gop blocks of Puri district, she said the Gop health centre, which was flooded, will be made functional from Friday.While collectors of the affected districts have placed a demand for 5,400 tonnes of fodder, the Government has so far supplied 1,870 tonnes. The collectors were advised to procure husks available locally for cattle feed, said Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Secretary Satyabrat Sahu.