Titli victims without roof;
some take relatives’ aid
Gajapati: More than three months have passed since the cyclone Titli wreaked havoc in different pockets of Gajapati district. Several kuccha houses were either totally destroyed or partially broken up due to the cyclonic storm. However, despite the devastation, several victims of Titli are awaiting compensation announced by the state government.
Orissa POST has done a sample survey of a few cases to unearth the deed behind the words. Although compensation was announced instantaneously by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the help did not reach the affected people during their difficult time. If at all it does reach, it does so much later. This results in raising the hopes of the affected people which later gets belied.
A visit by this correspondent to different Titli-affected villages in Gajapati district revealed that many victims of the natural calamity whose houses were either destroyed or washed away, have not yet received any compensation announced by the state government. Many others who lost their loved ones are also awaiting compensation announced so promptly by the BJD-led state government which, on the other side, is on a merry spree announcing more compensations.
Manikapatana is a village in Gangabada gram panchayat of Rayagad block of Gajapati district. Three months post-Titli, dilapidated houses are still clearly evident, even to a casual passerby. Unable to get compensation from the state government, several such villagers are now fuming for not being taken care of by the administration.
Guru Sabara is a 64-year-old man from the village. He had a kuccha house before the cyclone hit his village. But now, he sits on the broken corridor of his house awaiting government aid. He said, “I lost my kuccha house which had two rooms and a small kitchen. Sarpanch has written the names of many like me but till now we have not received a penny to build our house.”
Saroj Sabara, is another villager from Manikapatana who is slowly losing hope. “During Titli, most of the kuccha houses faced the wrath of nature. I have not been paid anything. We had got initial assistance of `3,000 just after the cyclone lashed our village. My house was damaged badly due to the cyclone. We are still waiting.” Many villagers told this correspondent that in the absence of a roof, people are taking the help of their neighbours or relatives for temporary assistance.
The scene in Baragarh village in the district where 16 people were reported to have died when the cyclone hit the village is worrisome. All the houses in the village, situated atop hills are kuccha and most of them got affected due to the strong winds October 11.
Even after three months, most of the houses here are incomplete and some are under construction. Many have received the compensation for loss of lives but the compensation for loss of home is still said to have eluded most.
Krushna Bhuyan, a resident of the village, who lost three members of his family during the cyclone said, “I lost my wife and two kids due to the cyclone. Although I have received part of the compensation from the government, my house was also damaged for which I have not received anything.”
The district administration, meanwhile, said most of the victims have been paid and very few are left due to problems in banking related issue. Arun Tripathy, Gajapati District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), who had worked on the compensation issues during Titli said, “90 per cent of the victims have been compensated as per the norms of the Special Relief Commissioner, only 10 per cent have some issues with bank-related formalities and these are being taken care of.”
However, it is not only Titli, but the State government’s compensation announcements for different issues on a daily basis and lack of timely delivery add to the woes of the ordinary tax-paying citizens. While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced compensation for the loss of lives in the recent Cuttack Mahanadi bus accident, the kin of the victims are yet to get justice by way of compensation announced by the CM himself.
Uma Mallick from the Saraswatipur village of Puri district lost her husband in the accident. She is yet to be compensated. She said, “My husband died as the bus on which he was travelling plunged into the Mahanadi riverbed near Cuttack. I have not received anything as of now. We have only been given documents.”
Such stories abound all across the state.
