The deathtoll in the floods rose to 48 as surging water from over 100 breaches on the Mahanadi river system continued to submerge fresh areas in coastal Orissa. Flooding of more areas in Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack districts worsened the plight of the marooned villagers in the Mahanadi delta region with relief teams still finding it tough to reach many pockets.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader LK Advani on Wednesday accused the Centre of discrimination over providing flood relief to Orissa. Advani, who made an aerial survey of the affected areas along with Chief Minister Naveen Patanik, said the Rs 500 crore announced by the Centre was “totally inadequate in view of the extent of the damage”.

“Last year, the PM had announced a Rs 200-crore assistance to Orissa for flood relief, but only Rs 5.9 crore was made available. This time, the state Government has submitted a memorandum for interim assistance of Rs 2,450 crore. The UPA government should not discriminate against Orissa for political considerations,” he said.