The Office of the Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha has released Rs 10 crore to four districts badly affected by the recent spell of heavy rain and flooding, with an instruction that the money must reach eligible families without delay.
In a letter, Additional Special Relief Commissioner Padmanav Behera today informed the collectors of Ganjam, Gajapati, Nabarangpur and Jharsuguda that the funds have already been allotted under three heads: house building assistance, crop loss assistance and relief camp expenditure.
Nabarangpur, which saw some of the heaviest rainfall and widespread waterlogging after gates of the Indravati reservoir were opened, has been given the largest share of ₹5 crore. Ganjam and Gajapati, both hit by flash floods, house collapses and large-scale evacuations, have been allotted ₹2 crore each. Jharsuguda has been given ₹1 crore.
The letter refers to earlier communications issued on 28 Sept and asks collectors to follow prescribed norms while paying admissible relief. They must also send utilisation reports back to the SRC office.
The allocation comes as Odisha continues to deal with the fallout of a deep depression that dumped extreme rain across southern and western districts. Tentulikhunti in Nabarangpur recorded nearly 400 mm of rain in a single day. Villages in Ganjam and Gajapati were cut off, pregnant women were evacuated by boat, and standing crops and kutcha houses were damaged. Relief camps have been running for several days.
State officials have already evacuated more than a lakh people across Odisha in the latest wave of flooding. This ₹10 crore package is a targeted, immediate release for four of the worst-affected districts rather than a full compensation settlement. Larger assessments of crop and house damage are still underway.
Collectors have been told to treat the disbursal as a priority so that families whose homes were damaged or whose fields were submerged can start receiving assistance at once.
