Naveen Visits Ganjam 11 Days After Arnab Devastation, Says Victims’ Distress Remains Unheard

Bhubaneswar: Eleven days after Cyclone Arnab devastated his home district Ganjam, Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday visited the affected areas, interacted with distressed residents and criticised the state government for allegedly failing to address their grievances.

At some places, however, aggrieved residents opposed his delayed visit, with posters carrying ‘Naveen Go Back’ slogans appearing near the Rushikulya bridge in Hinjilicut.

Patnaik began his tour from Sheragada, where he met flood-affected families, heard their grievances and assessed the damage caused by the cyclone and subsequent floods. He also took stock of relief distribution and restoration work.

The former chief minister, who represents Hinjili in the Assembly, visited other affected areas in Hinjilicut, Aska and Sorada, assessing the impact of the disaster on homes, agricultural fields and livelihoods.

During his interaction, residents drew his attention to their losses and sought assistance to rebuild their lives.

“We have lost everything. Our crops are destroyed. We spent four nights without sleep. We want to know what Naveen Babu will do for us,” a woman farmer said.

Another farmer said the floods had washed away the entire vegetable harvest, leaving the family struggling to meet household expenses.

“We have lost our entire vegetable harvest. We had put in months of hard work, but everything was washed away in the flood. Now we are struggling to manage our household expenses. We want the government to compensate us for our losses,” the farmer said.

“I have visited four different locations in Ganjam. The farmers and other people are in great distress. I shall take their complaints to the state government and demand that something is done for them. The people are truly suffering and their demands have not been listened to till now. Relief must reach them,” Patnaik said.

His visit came amid continuing recovery efforts in Ganjam, where the cyclone and subsequent floods damaged houses, crops and infrastructure and disrupted livelihoods.

The BJD president’s absence from the affected areas during the initial phase of the disaster had drawn criticism from the ruling BJP. Posters opposing his visit and ‘Go Back’ slogans reflected resentment over the timing of his arrival.

Balasore BJP MP Pratap Sarangi took a dig at Patnaik, saying it was better late than never.

“It is better late than never. We should thank Naveen Patnaik that at last he visited the affected areas, after seeing so many BJP leaders visiting the region,” Sarangi said.

He alleged that Patnaik should have reached the region much earlier.

“Had he (Naveen Patnaik) been sensitive towards the people’s cause, he would have visited the region much earlier,” Sarangi said.

The BJD had earlier said Patnaik was concerned about the situation, had spoken to the district collector and deputed a party team to assess the damage before undertaking the visit.