Bhubaneswar, Aug 17 (IANS) With floodwaters continuing to affect several parts of Odisha, BJD president and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Monday deputed three senior party leaders to visit Jajpur, Bhadrak and Balasore districts and take stock of the situation on the ground.

As per the office order, senior BJD leader Pradip Kumar Amat has been deputed to Jajpur district, while Dr Arun Kumar Sahoo and Sanjay Kumar Das Burma have been assigned to Bhadrak and Balasore districts, respectively, to assess the flood situation on the ground.

“The senior leaders will visit the flood-affected areas, interact with the affected people and coordinate with the District Administration, local BJD leaders and functionaries to ensure proper relief and restoration measures,” reads the office order.

Incessant rainfall triggered by a low-pressure system once again led to severe flooding in several districts of the state. As many as 49 blocks, 331 gram panchayats and 947 villages in Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Baleshwar, Kendujhar districts of the state are affected by the flooding.

Meanwhile, the state government has assigned three senior and experienced IAS officers special responsibilities for Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur districts to ensure the smooth management of rescue and relief operations.

The Special Relief Commissioner is continuously coordinating with all district administrations and overseeing the operations.

The official sources revealed that around 5.15 lakh people have been affected due to the flood situation, while 2.37 lakh people from the low-lying areas have been evacuated in the state.

The evacuated people are being provided with cooked and dry foods at 293 relief centres across the state. As many as 36 ODRAF teams, seven NDRF teams and 43 Fire Services teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations.

According to the India Meteorological Department’s forecast, the volume of rainfall will gradually come down in the state from August 18.

–IANS

grm/dpb