BALASORE: There seems to be no end to the woes of residents of Baliapal and Bhograi blocks, who after cyclone Amphan and the lockdown, are once again staring at an uncertain future. The delay in distribution of relief during these tough times has only added to their woes. Bhupal Jena (48) and Sanjay Dalei (30) of Ikadpal village in Baliapal are the sole earning members of their families. Both of them work as farm labourers and with vast tracts of agriculture land inundated due to the flood, they do not have any means of earning.
Bhupal and Sanjay, who support their families of six and four respectively, are among the many daily wage workers hit by the lockdown and now the flood. Bhupal said after relaxation of norms, he used to work for 15-20 days at farms and earned Rs 250 per day, which was not enough for his family. Sanjay said he had borrowed Rs 3,000 from a neighbour in May for buying ration and other essential commodities at nine per cent interest.
While he has repaid Rs 2,000 after working hard at the farms, the flood has ruined his hope of repaying the rest of the amount this year. What’s worse is that he has run out of the stock of 20 kg rice he had brought with the loan. “What shall I do? The Government is yet to give us dry food,” said Sanjay, who has borrowed 5 kg rice from his neighbour to feed his family. He said a few people who were evacuated from his village are being given cooked food. But the ones like him who preferred to stay at home are left to fend for themselves.
Similar is the plight of Nabin Sahu (35) of Rashalpur village, who sells vegetables at the Jamkunda weekly market in Bhograi. With a family of six to feed, Nabin used to earn Rs 300-400 per day but with vegetable crops damaged in the flood, people like him are unsure what they will do next. Panchanan of Baga village in in Bhograi block, an auto-rickshaw driver said nowadays a few people go to Kamarda and Jaleswar towns from his village. The decline in demand has forced him to stay at home.
The Baliapal block unit of BJP has vowed to take to the streets if the affected people in the two blocks are not given relief soon. Meanwhile, Collector K Sudarshan Chakraborty said he has ordered officials concerned to ensure relief materials is distributed in the affected areas of the blocks.