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Army help necessary to clear bodies: Patnaik

Union Minister and Biju Janata Dal leader Naveen Patnaik today said the army's help should be sought to clear the decomposing bodies in the cyclone-affected areas of Orissa following the "miserable failure" of the civic authorities.

Talking to journalists after his return from the storm-ravaged region, Patnaik said that despite the state government's claims that everything was going on smoothly in the affected coastal districts, "the ground reality was something else. The people were still deprived of food, medicine, tarpaulin and other relief materials," he said.

Patnaik said he had met Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang and told him that nothing was available in the worst-affected areas. "The government, instead of reviewing the situation with senior officials in the state capital, had asked its officers to rush to the affected areas and hold a mini secretariat to supervise the relief and rescue operations,'' he said.

An all-party meeting must be immediately called to monitor and co-ordinate relief operations, he said, alleging the state government "was virtually paralysed". Even a week after the cyclone, people were still struggling without food and other materials, he said.

Patnaik said that during his tour of Kendrapara district yesterday, he had found hundreds of carcasses rotting. He said the state government's field officials were insincere in their task to clear out the decomposing bodies.

The steel and mines minister appealed to all industrial houses and other voluntary organisations to extend all possible help and donate to the prime minister's relief fund for the victims of the Orissa cyclone.

He said Coal India and NALCO would contribute Rs 40 million towards relief. Meanwhile, leader of opposition in the assembly Sachidanada Dayal demanded a three-day special assembly session to be convened to discuss the gravity of the situation arising out to the "total failure of the state government to provide necessary relief to hundreds of thousands of people affected by the cyclone and flash floods."

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