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Army warns of the outbreak of epidemics

The army, engaged in relief, rescue and restoration work in cyclone-ravaged coastal Orissa, has alerted the state government to take all possible precautions to prevent the outbreak of epidemics in areas totally devastated by the super cyclone that struck the state on October 29.

The army columns that moved into Balikuda in Jagatsinghpur district and Astaranga in Puri warned that epidemics could break out in these areas.

Briefing reporters in Bhubaneswar last evening, Major General Amarjit Singh Klair, in charge of Operation Sahayata (Help), said they have warned the state government to be prepared for any eventuality as most of the interiors in these two worst affected pockets are still inaccessible.

The major general said the state government plans to rush required materials to face the eventuality. It has also been decided to launch a joint operation with the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force to enter the interiors of these two pockets to carry out relief and rescue operations.

He said that while the navy has been asked to approach the affected areas from the sea, the army will approach them from the west.

The army has achieved a major breakthrough, establishing contact with all the 15 block headquarters of Kendrapara district and distributing relief material. Army columns have also reached Astaranga in Puri and Ersama in Jagatsinghpur and will press into the interiors with relief material.

Major General Klair said as many as 400 villages in Bhadrak district had been marooned by flash floods and over 100,000 people were taking shelter on the national highway.

Group Captain H P S Natt, in charge of the IAF operations in the cyclone-affected areas, said that helicopters had so far made 112 sorties and dropped 274 tonnes of food in the affected areas.

He said one Ilyushin-76 and another Antonov 32 transport aircraft, besides Mi-26 helicopters, had been pressed into service to move food material from distant places while two Chetak helicopters are operating from the Chandipur missile base and Kalaikunda airbase.

Group Captain Natt said special attention is being paid to Astaranga, Balikuda and Ersama, which still remain largely inaccessible.

Meanwhile, the navy has decided to use ships from the creeks to reach the marooned people. As many as seven naval vessels are docked in Paradip port with 400 tonnes of relief materials. The navy has also pressed six helicopters into service for ferrying the material.

Meanwhile, the Orissa government claimed to have received reports of 924 deaths from the 10 affected districts. The worst affected Jagatsinghpur alone accounted for 373, followed by Puri (225), Khurda (201) and Kendrapara (121).

The state government has already urged the Centre to send a second team to assess the loss of lives and property. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is scheduled to arrive today for an aerial survey of the affected areas.

UNI

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