Digapahandi: Cyclonic storm Fani has left a trail of destruction in coastal parts of the state. While the government is trying to rebuild things, the residents of villages in Digapahandi block of Ganjam district are yet to get compensation for the damage suffered during cyclone Titli. They fear they might have to wait till another calamity strikes for getting compensation for Fani.
Although six months have passed since Titli hit the Digapahandi block, 1,759 people of this area have not got houses and compensation as promised by the government.
Now Fani has added to their woes and has broken the backbone of the people here who were recovering from the earlier cyclone.
CPI(M) Ganjam district secretary Kailash Sarangi, state council member Alakanath Mishra and DCC vice-president Prafulla Panda have given a written memorandum regarding this to the administration.
The authorities of Bank of Baroda’s Digapahandi branch said the details of 1,759 beneficiaries given by the block office had lots of mistakes, and that they had returned the compensation of Rs 67,92,265 to the state relief fund.
Sources said only the names of beneficiaries were given to the bank from the block office and not address proof. Now it is very difficult for block officers to correct the name of the beneficiaries.
The government had declared a compensation of Rs 900 per elder person and Rs 675 per child less than 14 years.
The block office had sent the corrected list of beneficiaries from the 25 panchayats including Kusapada, Kotinada, Khamarigaon, Karpada, Kaithakahandi, CH Tikarpada, Goudagaon, Bijya Laxmi Narayanpur, Basudevpur, Turubudi, Sahadevtikarpada, Fasiguda and Nimakhandipenthi to the Digapahandi branch of Bank of Baroda March 15.
The block officials had prepared the beneficiary list on a war footing due to the pressure exerted by the then food supply and consumer welfare minister Surya Naryan Patra.
Locals said the block officials had prepared the beneficiary list only partially. They said the compensation amount had been deposited twice in some beneficiaries’ bank accounts.
BDO Haldhar Sabar said they will correct the beneficiary list and give the compensation soon.
PNN