Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday reviewed the situation in flood-hit Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada districts and directed the district administrations to provide cooked food to the affected people for the next seven days.

The Chief Minister spoke to the districts Collectors of Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada through videoconferencing and was apprised of the situations there.

Patnaik asked the district Collectors to expedite the rescue operations and provide all assistance including healthcare services in the affected areas. He also asked the Collectors to submit damage assessment report to the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) within seven days. During the meeting, Ganjam Collector urged the CM for helicopters for rescue and relief operations in the affected areas of the district. Similarly, Gajapati Collector sought more fire service personnel for rescue operations. Besides, Rayagada Collector also apprised about the situation and the steps undertaken.

The Chief Minister instructed that the flood situation in Ganjam, Rayagada and Gajapati need to be constantly monitored and the breaches developed in river embankments should be closed as soon as possible. Patnaik ordered, “Affected people should be shifted to safe places and free kitchen, health and sanitation facilities should be provided to them till they return to their homes. All potable water sources should be disinfected and defunct sources should be made operative immediately.  Health camps and animal care camps should be opened up in all affected areas and free medicine should be made available to the needy.”

“The communication in the affected areas should be restored and local authorities should be asked to take immediate steps to clear the debris. Assessment of the damaged crops, livestock and other private property should be taken up immediately, the CM further ordered. After the meeting, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi informed that the choppers from Visakhapatnam would be used for operations at Aska and Purusottampur in Ganjam district.

Padhi said, “The power services in Ganjam would be restored within 48 hours. However, the services will be delayed in Aska and Purushottampur. The road communication will be restored in Gajapati district by this evening.”

All the services will be functional within 72 hours in Rayagada. The power service will be restored in Gajapati district by four days. The doctors from other districts will be deployed in three affected districts, Padhi added.

Later, Chief Minister constituted a three-member ministerial committee to monitor relief, rescue and restoration activities in the three districts affected by cyclonic storm ‘Titli’. The panel comprises Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty, Urban Development Minister Niranjan Pujari and Energy Minister Sushant Singh as its members.

The CM has asked the committee to visit Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada districts to supervise the relief, rescue and restoration works there.