PARLAKHEMUNDI : Gajapati district administration on Friday adopted nine-year-old Simanchal Bhuyan and his brother Ram, who lost their parents in the landslide in Baraghara village of Gangabada panchayat. Another younger brother Kartik will be adopted soon.Completing all formalities, Collector Anupam Shah produced them before the district Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Chairman of CWC Binod Chandra Jena handed them over to Navajivan child care institute functioning in Ward-15 of Parlakhemundi Municipality.
Speaking to this paper, institute manager R Ravana said, “We will take care of the siblings till they become self-reliant.”Meanwhile, the administration has confirmed 51 deaths due to cyclone Titli and subsequent floods in the district. Ex gratia has been disbursed to the family of 39 deceased.
Similarly, out of 149 affected panchayats, electricity has been restored in 88 panchayats. While polythene sheets have been provided to 67,295 families, 50 kg of rice per family has been distributed to 52,596 families.Besides, all the damaged roads have been repaired and made motorable. Out of 247 damaged roads under Rural Development department, 236 have been repaired. At least 4,200 tubewells have been disinfected and water supply restored in all block headquarters. Twentyseven mobile generator sets have been pressed into service for restoring piped water supply.
On the other hand, chairperson of Special Development Council (SDC), Gajapati, Antaryami Gomang, former Union minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu and Rayagada block chairperson Dhaneswar Bhuyan visited the inaccessible and remote Mada village of Koinpur panchayat of Rayagada block on Saturday. Gomang distributed relief materials to 67 families.