Schools in the district, where evacuees had been sheltered during the cyclone Phailin, reopened on Saturday and the district is fast returning to normalcy, said Collector Muralidhar Barik.
As many as 62,114 evacuees have started returning home. As per Government direction, they have been provided food assistance, cash and polythene sheets for their damaged houses.
A population of 9,84,000 in 1,582 villages and two ULBs were affected in the Phailin. Power has been restored in 849 villages and of 340 piped water projects damaged in the cyclone, 53 have been restored.
The Collector told mediapersons that total 4,640 families were given food assistance and will be provided 11,625 quintals of rice and pulses. As on Saturday, 346 families in 25 villages had been given food assistance and 211 polythene sheets distributed.
Barik said even remote tribal villages like Bandhamunda in Ranpur and Badasilinga, Chadayapalli and Kalashkhamana in Daspalla have been accessed and provided relief. Asked about destruction of trees and forest area, Barik said Forest Department is yet to submit the report.
The Collector said two people died in the district due to Phailin and subsequent flood. The victims are four-year-old Shivani Pradhan who died due to wall collapse in Ranpur and Rabindra Pati (42) of Salajharia village in Khandapada who died of snake bite. Cattle causality was 17 while 4,000 poultry birds perished, he added.
More than 50 per cent of paddy crop has been damaged over an area of 46,077 hectares (ha) while it has been completely destroyed in 34,340 ha. Besides, non-paddy crops in 9,320 ha including sugarcane and banana have been severely affected. According to CESU Engineer Dillip Kumar Sahoo, of 1.48 lakh consumers in Nayagarh division, 64,000 have got back power supply and a target to cover all consumers by October 25 has been fixed. He said 12 sub-stations of 33/11 KV, five feeders of 33 KV each, 49 feeders of 11 KV and 1,380 poles were damaged.
At least 57 km of PWD road, 105 kms of RD road, 520 kms of panchayat roads and four kms of National Highway that were damaged in the cyclonic storm have been cleared for vehicular movement.
CDMO Hadibandhu Routara said 93 doctors and 417 pharmacists beside ANMs are vigilant round the clock. As many as 270 cyclone victims have been treated for minor injuries and 22 for snake bite. As many as 106 babies were born in health centres including 15 in district headquarters hospital from October 12 to 14, Routara said.
Meanwhile, Nayagarh Collector has appealed to the puja committees to use electricity with restraint at their pandals in view of large scale damage to power infrastructure.
The District officials have also been requested to donate one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.