PRIME Minister Narendra Modi recently boasted to Indian diaspora in Japan: “Recently India was able to tackle cyclone Fani and many other obstacles with minimal losses and was able to push them back aside. The world appreciated our damage control efforts; how we made use of government resources, human resources and space technology along with other things to perform efficiently.”
After the two days of AIARLA’s National Executive Meeting at Nagbhushan Bhawan at Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, Comrades Sriram Choudhry, AIARLA National President, Dhirendra Jha, AIARLA GS, and Balasundaram, AIARLA National Vice-President along with com Ashoke Pradhan, Odisha state leader of AIKM, visited Fani-affected villages of Puri district on 28th June evening.
On the entire route to the village Panchayat Laxmi Narayanpur by motorcycles the team could see extensive havoc wreaked by Fani on both sides of the road. Innumerable coconut trees have been damaged, several decade old trees uprooted, thousands of hectares of paddy crops destroyed, huts, semi kutcha houses have been demolished. People who lost their homes are yet to find proper dwelling places. The state government is demanding Rs 7000 crore to build five lakh affordable houses. PM Modi with ‘government resources’ promised nothing!
The people of Laxmi Narayanpur G P which consists of several small villages and hamlets narrated the hardships and mental trauma they suffered. Pilipada, is the birth place of the late AIARLA state President of Odisha Comrade Satyabadi Behera who passed away last year. Comrade Satyabadi had played a leading role in retrieving thousands of acres of land from the landlords and distributing to the landless.
This village is one of the severely ravaged villages. The people of these villages said that the conditions are inhuman - belying the claims of State and Central Governments. Relief and rehabilitation works have not even touched the tip of the iceberg. Electric lines, transformers which were damaged are not yet fully restored. Dalit landless labourers of the Digria hamlet, which consists of around 25 families, are living in terrible conditions. Solar lights distributed by government and NGOs are the only source of light.
Many of the villagers are yet to find proper work. MNREGA too has not been provided. Here, a CPIML party member, aged 35 died due to Fani, leaving his young wife and two daughters. The leaders consoled the family members. Com Dhirendra conveyed the decision of CPIML CC of assist the family with Rs 2 lakh. He also assured the comrade’s young daughters that the party will support their quest for education fully.
