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    Six days after cyclone Fani, life in Odisha far from normal

    Synopsis

    Still reeling under the aftermath of cyclone Fani, there is no electricity most of the day in many places; little water and barely any connectivity.

    ET Bureau
    BHUBANESHWAR: Putting everything back on track is the hardest thing after any natural calamity, and the recent cyclone in Odisha has been no different. Six days after cyclone Fani battered Odisha, normal life in coastal towns of the state is still crippled with no electricity during most hours of the day, little water and barely any connectivity.

    There are unprecedented long queues in front of ATMs and cash dispensing kiosks with the facility being run on diesel generators. Most of the ATMs had either run out of cash or were not operating due to lack of power. What’s worse is that due to shortage of cash, residents too can’t buy food stuff with most grocery shops and restaurants insisting on cash payments.

    Petrol pumps are being run on generators but had to be shut down every 4-6 hours before they can resume, and failure of mobile connectivity has added to the chaos. Distribution of fuel to thousands of people every hour has posed further strain on the staff.

    CYCLONE---BCCL


    The plight of the people is reflected by TS Patnaik, former director at OSIMA, who had been running frantically to get a printout for his daughter Arijita's result who had appeared for her class X CBSE exam. Patnaik, who stays at Ananta Vihar, near Bhubaneswar airport, has been requesting hotels and educational institutions to help him check his daughter's result.

    Patnaik, who had seen cyclones every two years in Odisha, is visibly angry. "It has been so many years since 1999, why can't the government lay underground cables so that citizens do not go through this misery. The administration failed to assess the damage and is now taking days to restore basic facilities such as water and power. Average residents are being fleeced as prices of essential commodities have peaked. The society where I stay is charging Rs 1,500 for an hour for running gensets," he said.

    Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, while lauding the efforts of his government, on May 4 said, "A record of 1.2 million people were evacuated in 24 hours, 3.2 lakh from Ganjam, 1.3 lakh from Puri and almost 7,000 kitchens catering to 9,000 shelters were made functional overnight. This mammoth exercise involved more than 45,000 volunteers." Both the Centre and state governments said that relief and restoration work is being monitored by cabinet secretary P K Sinha who is holding daily review meetings at the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC).

    Puri and its adjoining areas have been the worst hit, according to the state government. The rail route to Puri is yet to be restored completely. “For the first 48 hours we were helpless. People at the platform were agitated and every delay would lead to panic among passengers. I was in emergency duty but could not evacuate my mother-in-law, a heart patient, out of the city. The situation of trains plying between Bhubaneshwar-Kolkata and Chennai has improved but those bound for Puri and beyond will be operational by May 15," PR Purkait, chief ticket inspector at Bhubaneshwar railway station, told ET.

    While the number of deaths due to Fani remained below 40, residents of Bani Bihar in Bhubaneshwar said that they did not go to the cyclone shelters despite the government’s call. “My mother refused to go -- the roof of my house was damaged but nothing happened to her. The government has not given us any food and were paid only Rs 2500 as cyclone relief by the state administration. No one from any party or administration visited us," said Ravi Sahoo, who stays at a makeshift house in Bani Nagar.


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