BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Sunday urged the Centre to declare the recent floods in the State as a national calamity and provide adequate financial assistance to meet the calamity situation. Passing a political resolution in the State Executive Committee meeting here, the party said the two spells of flood caused large-scale devastation in 19 of the 21 affected districts. While a large number of people are rendered homeless, kharif crops in more than three lakh hectares have been damaged. An inter-ministerial team of the Centre has already assessed the damage and admitted that crop loss in different districts varied between 50 and 80 per cent. Meanwhile, the State Government has put the damage at ` 3,265 crore. The BJP urged the Centre to compensate the State adequately and sanction housing assistance under Indira Awas Yojana for all those whose houses were damaged. Alleging that the current floods occurred due to mismanagement of Hirakud dam water, the party demanded proper flood management by constituting an expert committee which will suggest measures to renovate the dam. The Government’s decision to develop the damaged panchayat roads into cement concrete roads and utilise ` 1,208 crore for restoration works within 45 days will open the floodgates of corruption, the resolution said and added this has been done keeping in mind the ensuing panchayat elections. Since natural calamities like drought and flood are visiting the State every year, the BJP suggested the Government to find a solution to these problems by constituting a commission comprising experts from different fields. As 16 districts of the State suffered crop loss due to deficient rainfall before the floods, the Government should compensate the affected farmers, the resolution said. Expressing concern over the death of peacocks in Ganjam district, the executive committee recommended the Government to direct the Forest Department to take necessary action. Condemning the killing of a ruling BJD legislator from Umerkote and his PSO by unidentified persons, the BJP said the incident reflects the deteriorating law and order situation. If the Naveen Patnaik Government is not able protect a sitting MLA, he has no moral right to keep the Home portfolio. The party demanded adequate security for Leader of the BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo who has been receiving threat calls from unidentified sources. Coming down heavily on the Centre for its methodology on identifying the poor, the meeting said ` 26 and ` 32 criteria in rural and urban areas respectively are nothing but a cruel joke on the disadvantage sections of the society. The recent exposure of mining loot in the State by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) warrants a CBI probe, the resolution said and added the State Vigilance is not competent to go to the bottom of the scam.
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