BALASORE: Even as Chennai started picking up crumbs of life with flood waters receding in several areas, the relatives of Odia families stuck in the rain-battered Southern State are spending sleepless night back home, fearing for their safety.
An engineer’s family and hundreds of labourers from Balasore and Mayurbhanj districts trapped there for the last five days continue to suffer from lack of supply of essentials including water, power, milk and food items.
A chemical engineer Ayodhyanath Mohanty (46), wife Deepika and their son Ankit, natives of Bhanjapur in Baripada town, have taken shelter on the third floor of a multi-storey in Nanganallur in Chennai.
Their family members have sought the help of district administration to contact them as mobile network in their area was yet to be restored. “We last spoke to Ayodhyanath on Monday. Along with them, 12 other Odia families are also residing in the same locality,” said his brother-in-law Deepak Mohanty. The Mohantys have been residing in Nanganallur for past 15 years.
Apart from the individual families, labourers from different regions of the State are also facing hardships. Labourers identified as Nangu Marandi, Chana Kisku, Ram Hembram and 20 others from Bhimpur under Baisinga police limits, 15 more from Soro and Khaira blocks of Balasore district are stranded there.
Similarly, Bijay Sethi, Manoranjan Rout, Ranjit Rout, Mahiranjan Behera, Sudhanshu Nayak and Sibanshu Nayak, who are working in a guest house at Sholinganallur were reportedly trapped in the building for more than 72 hours and have sought help.
More than 2,000 people from both the districts work in Chennai. Mayurbhanj District Labour Officer JK Mohanty said efforts are on to locate them and make arrangements for their safe return.