In a sharply worded letter addressed to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik has demanded immediate relief and rehabilitation for flood-hit residents of Ganjam district while seeking accountability for what he has described as a “manmade crisis.”
Patnaik visited the worst-affected areas of Hinjili, Sheragada, Aska and Sorada on November 7, interacting with farmers, women, small traders and residents who recounted massive losses of crops, homes, infrastructure and livelihoods following Cyclone Arnab. “I was pained to see the acute distress of the people of Ganjam,” he wrote, noting that the floods have set the district back by several years.
“This gross negligence and manmade crisis raises serious issues of accountability,” the letter states. People are demanding strict action against those responsible.
Patnaik also pointed to Ganjam’s known vulnerability — heavy rains are typically expected on the right side of a cyclonic landfall — and noted that the government itself has acknowledged a lack of preparedness. Rescue and relief operations, he said, were delayed, leaving people marooned for days without food and water. He has forwarded multiple representations received during his visit to the Special Relief Commissioner for immediate action.
Beyond immediate relief, the letter calls for a focused, whole-of-government approach to deliver timely compensation and restore confidence among farmers, women, youth, small traders and ordinary residents. “Just paying lip service will not work,” Patnaik wrote. Any further negligence, he warned, would prompt the Biju Janata Dal to take up the people’s cause “from Palli to Delhi.”
In a broader political critique, Patnaik recalled that Odisha, as a coastal state, had built a globally acclaimed community-based disaster management system under the BJD government, with sarpanches, PRI members and Mission Shakti playing key roles. He alleged that the neglect of sarpanches and the near-closure of Mission Shakti under the current government has weakened this system. Referring to earlier mishandling of calamities in districts such as Kendrapada, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore, he cautioned that “the hard work done and progress achieved by the BJD Government over 24 years is not undone in 24 months by the double engine sarkar.”
The BJD has consistently criticised the state government for inadequate preparedness and reservoir management despite advance IMD warnings, while the BJP administration has pointed to the scale of the rainfall and ongoing relief efforts. Patnaik’s formal letter formalises these demands and escalates the political contest over the management of the Cyclone Arnab floods.
