Flood in Bari Man-Made Disaster, Alleges Youth Leader Sanjib.

By Akshya Rout

Jajpur,27/08(PPT): The devastating flood in Bari area of Jajpur district is a “man-made disaster”, alleged the social organisation Sanjib Sena, accusing local political leaders and the Water Resources Department of negligence and prioritising politics over relief operations.
At a press conference held at Dharpur on Wednesday, members of the organisation expressed strong resentment over the functioning of the Water Resources Department and the role of local political leaders in handling the flood situation.
Organisation adviser Sheikh Safiquddin alleged that the “extreme negligence” of the Water Resources Department, coupled with an alleged understanding between two local political leaders, had contributed to the present situation in Bari.
He claimed that no adequate funds had been invested in the repair and strengthening of river embankments over the past two years, which, according to him, reflected administrative failure and political immaturity.
Safiquddin further alleged that while one of the local leaders was distributing relief materials through a contractor from Kendrapara, the repair work of the breach at Bankasahi had also been awarded to the same contractor allegedly on the leader’s recommendation.
The organisation’s president, Sanjib Jena, said farmers had lost their year-long crops because of the floods and were facing severe financial distress. He alleged that the administration and political leaders were limiting their relief efforts to distributing small quantities of basic provisions such as flour and potatoes.
Jena described the breach as “man-made” and warned that farmers who had suffered losses would launch a broad-based agitation if their grievances were not addressed.
The organisation demanded greater accountability from the Water Resources Department and local leadership, along with effective measures to repair and strengthen vulnerable embankments and provide adequate relief and compensation to flood-affected families.
Senior member Nirmal Kumar Jati and other office-bearers of the organisation were present at the press conference.