KHARIAR (Orissa), May 11: Not withstanding the visits of several VIPs and VVIPs along with Central teams to the drought-hit Nuapara district, hunger still stalks most of the villages.

Faced with one of the unprecedented drought of the century and lack of employment opportunities, people of the area continue to migrate to the neighbouring states in hoardes. The distress situation has exposed the hollowness of the official claim that people were shifting out in search of better wages.

A tour of the affected areas revealed that no employment generation schemes worth the name has been launched by the State Government in villages even four months after the visit of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team. The NHRC officials visited three villages in Khariar block to verify reports of starvation deaths.

According to sources, the team confirmed the death of Dambudha Majhi, a 40-year-old resident of Mahulkote village. They also did not overlook the fact that the stomach of Dhaneswar Majhi of Khamtari village was empty when he died at Khariar Road. Of course, Majhi was suffering from lungs problem since long. The team, however, could not ascertain the death of Rupamani Patel, a 15-year-old girl of Gudveli village as the entire family had migrated to Raipur.

The most galling aspect is that the condition of people in the drought-hit area has not improved a bit even after the claims of the Government to the contrary. With the visits of the central teams and the VVIPs over, the district administration has become complacent as the pressure on it has eased.

Mahulkote, a village 14 km from here, now wears a deserted look after hogging the limelight following the death of Dambudha Majhi. Gomti, the wife of Majhi has been sanctioned Rs 10,800 for constructing a two-room house under the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY). But she alleged that the amount has not been released in full so far. Besides, it was inadequate as a part of the money has already been spent on food as she had no other source of income.

Bilasha Bewa, the 65-year-old mother of Dhaneshwar Majhi of Khamtari village, who allegedly died of starvation, is a case of Government apathy. Without coming to her aid, the administration was busy in calculating the amount of land she has. Bilasha told this correspondent that all her land had been mortgaged by her son and repeated pleas to the sub-collector for initiating action to retrieve the land fell on deaf ears.

Bilasha alleged that the administration had taken no steps to rehabilitate the six-year-old son of Dhaneswar. Both of them were now living on the Rs 5000 sanctioned by the Government under the family benefit scheme.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.