Bhubaneswar: The incoherent statistics on disaster management during cyclonic storm Titli and subsequent flooding has sparked a row in State politics with the opposition accusing the Odisha government of peddling misinformation.
The State units of BJP and the Congress alleged that such mismatch and discrepancies in the reports released at regular intervals have proved that the ruling-BJD is hiding the truth from the people of the State to save itself.
It is worth mentioning that a report published on Monday morning revealed that 3,60,132 persons were evacuated and sheltered in 1614 relief centres. However, district-wise details of persons evacuated only added up to 1,13,224 persons. However, another report released in the same day evening showed that 3,60,353 persons were evacuated. Today morning, another report was published by the SRC which showed that a total of 3,60, 131 persons were evacuated. Interestingly, there was also a mismatch in the number of relief centres at 1612.
"The government is giving false reports. Why is the number of evacuated persons increasing every day? Evacuation should have been done on the same day of the cyclone? Without any evacuation, the State government is just making fake bills," alleged State BJP spokesperson, Golak Mohapatra.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary, Sarat Rout also accused the government of providing false data adding that the whole machinery is just engaged in appeasing Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
He further said, "The way super cyclone of 1999 unseated the Congress government from power in the State, Cyclone Titli will result in same fate for the Naveen Patnaik government in 2019 general polls."
However, Food Supplies minister Surya Narayan Patro rubbished the allegations and taking a jibe at both the national parties said: "We are not appearing for an exam here so that we have to make the figures correct. Our reports are based on information from the ground."
Meanwhile, the State government today accepted that 26 persons have so far lost their lives in different districts due to the natural calamity which affected a total of 57 lakh people across 16 districts of the State.
Addressing a presser in Bhubaneswar, Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi informed that 1.48 lakh hectare of paddy crops and 65,000 hectare of non-paddy crops were destroyed in the cyclone and subsequent flooding.