JAGATSINGHPUR: Irregularities in survey to assess damage to houses due to cyclone Fani has added to the woes of residents of Biridi and Raghunathpur blocks of the district.As if the destruction caused by the cyclone was not enough, the residents of the two blocks are still waiting for compensation or work order for repairing their houses which bore the brunt of the storm. They have demanded the intervention of the State Government to look into the matter.
Bibhuti Bhusan Behera, Duryodhan Senapati and others of Badakhanditya village said their houses had been completely damaged in the cyclone. They said the survey to assess damage to houses is being conducted only on pen and paper by Revenue Inspectors. Similar is the plight of residents of Batimira panchayat where the names of the affected people have not been included in the house damage survey report.
Sarpanch of Badakhanditya panchayat Babuli Charan Swain said the villagers have sought an official inquiry and another survey to assess the damage to houses in the area. Swarnalata Sethy, the sarpanch of Batimira panchayat too echoed similar views and alleged that the needy have been deprived of proper compensation for their losses.
Earlier, BJP leader Ramakant Bhoi had raised the matter and asked why the district administration did not declare Jagatsinghpur district as cyclone affected. Even as the district administration has declared Biridi and Raghunathpur blocks as cyclone-hit, the affected residents of these areas were given given compensation of `500 instead of `2,500, which was given to those hit by the storm in neighbouring Cuttack district. This has led to widespread resentment among the residents.