Bhubaneswar: Making a field visit to the Gangabada panchayat of Gajapati district where 18 people died due to landslide, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday announced sops for families affected by cyclone Titli and the subsequent floods.
Naveen met the affected people and said, “Never in the history of Odisha had landslide of this scale happened. This is completely a new phenomenon. We will do a vulnerability mapping of hilltop villages and provide shelters wherever required.”
He also hiked the Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia announced earlier for the next of kin of the dead to Rs 10 lakh. The additional Rs 6 lakh will be given from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) while Rs 4 lakh will be given from State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF).
Many villagers met Naveen and expressed willingness to shift from the hilltop to safety. The government will provide homesteads and pucca houses to them, and also cover them under the food, health and social security schemes, he said.
All facilities like safe drinking water, anganwadis, school, community centres and medical facilities will be provided to the people whenever they shift, he said.
The children who lost their parents in the calamity will be provided education and other help by the state government, the CM said.
Naveen also distributed land rights to 10 families who wanted to shift from the hilltop. He directed officials to restore electricity and road connectivity on a war footing. Later, he went to Bhanja Nagar and reviewed restoration works in Ganjam district. He also did an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in the district.
Meanwhile, sources said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will visit Gangabada village in Gajapati district and the Aska block of Ganjam district Thursday.
