Orissa seeks moratorium
on payment of loans

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 7 (UNI, PTI) — An all-party meeting in Orissa today urged the Centre to declare the cyclone which hit the state a national calamity and allow a five-year moratorium on payment of Central government loans, besides waiving the interest.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang, also resolved to constitute all-party committees at the state and district levels to monitor the relief operation in the cyclone- ravaged areas.

The tragedy, which devastated the 400-km coast in 12 districts, had so far officially claimed over 1700 lives of which the worst-hit Jagatsinghpur district alone accounted for 765 deaths followed by Cuttack (329), Puri (289) and Kendrapada (147).

The state government today set up Orissa cyclone relief and reconstruction fund, according to the state Revenue Minister, Mr Jagannath Patnaik.

He said though Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had made it clear that the Centre had treated the cyclone as a national calamity and released funds from the National Fund for Calamity Relief, yet the cyclone has not been officially declared a national calamity. "As long as it was not officially announced, it would be difficult for the Centre to undertake the rehabilitation work in the cyclone-ravaged areas, he added.

Receding waters under a scorching sun and the opening up of passage into the interiors of cyclone-battered coastal areas have brought into the frame a picture, more grotesque than initially conjured.

Ten days after the super-cyclone unleashed its fury on the areas around the Paradip port in Jagatsinghpur district, particularly Ersama and Kujang blocks, rescuers have discovered mounds of corpses in almost every village, rotting along side tonnes of carcasses.

Mr D.N. Padhi, Special Relief Commissioner, told newsmen though there had been some health hazards yet so far no symptoms of epidemic had been seen anywhere in the affected areas.

According to a preliminary estimate by the state government as on today, more than 1.65 lakh heads of cattle have perished in the disaster of which about 1 lakh died in Jagatsinghpur district alone.

The cyclone has affected 10.85 million of population and damaged crops in over 6.85 lakh hectares of land. Non-paddy crop in over 18,173 hectares had also been damaged in the cyclone, official sources said today.

"Operation Sahayata", launched jointly by the Army, Navy and Air Force, continued to reach help to people in more and more inaccessible areas.

Briefing newspersons, Group Captain H.P.S. Naat from the Indian Navy said so far over 400 tonnes of relief materials had been air dropped in the affected areas, while 670 tonnes had been flown to Orissa from various parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the IL 70 was flown in from Allahabad with more power boats to be pressed into the operation, while two AL 32 aircraft arrived here today to join the ongoing "Operation Sahayata".

With as many as 14 high tension transmission lines devastated in the October 29 super-cyclone in Orissa, restoration of power supply to rural areas in the state would take four to five months, state's Minister for Energy Niranjan Patnaik has said.

"The engineers and other personnel of the Grid Corporation of Orissa Ltd (Gridco) have been doing their best, but please consider the enormity of the situation. As to when the situation will be brought to the pre-cyclone position is anybody's guess," he said.

Villagers wait in vain as
trucks come and go

PURI, Nov 7 (PTI) — Relief is trickling in the devastated interiors of Orissa, but a not-so-efficient channelling and distribution system has made the eternal wait for its cyclone-struck residents even more painful.

Villagers complain that rice and kerosene come to one block and then get retracted to another with victims getting only to see the loaded trucks which never get unloaded.

Cases of relief material being erroneously despatched to the wrong destination in Puri and Cuttack districts have only compounded the miseries of thousands of shelterless villagers whose lives have been a virtual struggle for survival.

The local administration was not in a position to distribute the kerosene which arrived in Nuagad village under Astaranga block since it was earmarked for another block. The trucks had to return to its proper destination, prolonging the agony of the affected persons.

"The relief had come to the wrong place so we had to send it back. We have no option but to wait till our stocks come," the block development officer of the area said.

Not only the relief material, but Army columns too have been despatched to the wrong areas for relief operations. The Army movement for such operations is being co-ordinated by the state administration.

Eight columns from Jagatsinghpur district were shifted to Sambalpur which had not been affected by the super-cyclone. Two days later, the columns were deployed in Puri district, which has accounted for 289 deaths till now.

"We were given a wrong projection. Eight columns were sent to Sambalpur and after two days they were deployed in Puri district," Captain N. Sherawat of the Assam Regiment said.

With cases of gastro-enteritis and diarrhoea continuing to rise, medicines have been exhausted fast and most of the blocks in Puri district have been left with no medicine to treat the growing number of patients.

The medical officers in the blocks have asked for fresh medicine stocks to be sent immediately, but nothing has come yet.