Defence Minister George Fernandes told reporters in New Delhi that about five per cent of the 8,000 cyclone-hit villages were still inaccessible as road links with them were yet to be restored. Inhabitants of these 400 villages were starving, he added.

There was no information about the number of people in these inaccessible villages, Fernandes, who heads the special task force for coordinating relief and plan rehabilitation, said. An unconfirmed report, however, said nearly half a million people resided in the villages.

"What is needed now is to establish road links and open other communication channels with these areas immediately to feed the starving victims," Fernandes said. As Orissa trudged towards rebuildingits shattered economy, more than 100 central PSUs today decided to adopt at least 57 blocks in the 10 cyclone-hit districts pressing into service their manpower and resources for supplying medicines, pure water and food and to reconstruct localities. Orissa's Special Relief Commissioner R N Padhi said surface communication, telecommunication, power supply, water supply and irrigation systems have suffered severe damage putting "the clock of industrialisation in Orissa back by two decades."