Despite being the first state to have a dedicated disaster mitigation authority, Orissa’s lack of preparedness to deal with the devastating floods in the state was evident on Wednesday as the officials made frantic calls to get polythene sheets for the 40 lakh affected people.

With over 1 lakh people in 827 villages still marooned, the lack of polythene sheets has made matters worse for those who are still going without food and water due to a hopelessly tardy relief-and-rescue operation. Revenue secretary G V V Sharma told The Indian Express: “The lack of polythene sheets is our biggest headache now. We have placed orders.”

Officials were not ready to say why the Orissa State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) did not think it fit to keep the polythene sheets ready before the floods hit the State. OSDMA managing director N K Sundarray did not respond to telephone calls.

For lakhs of people who have taken shelter on the roads and the rooftops of their houses, the polythene sheets are the best defence against the vagaries of nature. “But with the polythene scam of the 1999 super cyclone fresh in their mind, nobody wanted to be reminded of anything remotely connected to polythene,” said an official.

It’s not just polythene. The 472 free kitchens and 9-lakh odd water pouches for the people are proving to be woefully inadequate for the people in 18 districts. The lack of mechanised boats also prevented the relief-and-rescue officials from providing relief.

Deprived of any assistance, a large number of flood-affected people resorted to a road blockade on Tuesday and Wednesday on National Highway 5A connecting Paradip with Daitari. In Naugaon block of Jagatsinghpur, agitated people locked the block office accusing the administration of adopting a discriminatory approach in distribution of relief material.

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