Cyclone ‘Arnab’: Koraput MP Saptagiri Ulaka Seeks Urgent PM Intervention and Special Package for Devastated Rayagada
Dr. Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, October 30 — Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, Member of Parliament from Koraput and Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, has petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for immediate Central intervention following the trail of destruction left by Cyclone ‘Arnab’ across Southern Odisha.The cyclone triggered torrential rainfall, flash floods, and waterlogging throughout Rayagada district’s mountainous terrain, disrupting transport corridors, inundating standing crops, and cutting off remote tribal habitations.The MP flagged acute vulnerabilities across seven administrative blocks in Rayagada facing snapped rural links, landslide threats, and submerged farmlands in Kalyansinghpur, Kashipur, Bissamcuttack, Muniguda, Chandrapur, Gudari and Gunupur.
Seven point Charter of Demands Submitted to the Prime Minister were: Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT): Immediate deployment of an IMCT to Rayagada to conduct an on-ground damage audit of public infrastructure, homes, farmlands, and livelihoods in tandem with state teams. Special Rehabilitation Package: Allocation of emergency relief funds under SDRF/NDRF frameworks and Centrally sponsored schemes to overhaul disrupted power grids, drinking water networks, Anganwadis, schools, and health centres, with priority repairs on NH-26 and NH-326. Expedited Crop Loss Compensation: Completion of a preliminary crop-damage assessment within 72 hours, backed by prompt disbursal through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and disaster relief funds, with emphasis on small and tribal farmers. Resilient Road & Drainage Restorations: Emergency funding to rebuild damaged PMGSY rural roads, culverts, and causeways using climate-resilient specifications and expanded drainage capacity. Basin-Wide Mitigation Task Force: Formation of a multi-agency scientific body—comprising NDMA, Central Water Commission (CWC), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Geological Survey of India (GSI), and CDRI—to develop a long-term flood mitigation blueprint for the Vansadhara and Nagavali river basins. Last-Mile Emergency Supplies: Immediate provision of dry rations, clean drinking water, mobile medical units, sanitation equipment, and temporary shelters, prioritized for geographically isolated tribal pockets. Southern Odisha Infrastructure Resilience Plan: Sanction of an all-weather infrastructure modernisation plan equipped with satellite communications, landslide/flood early-warning systems, and reinforced bridges.
“Rayagada cannot be left to face repeated natural disasters without permanent solutions. Our tribal communities, farmers, and remote villages deserve timely relief, adequate compensation, resilient infrastructure, and long-term protection.
The Central Government must intervene immediately and work closely with the State Government to ensure that no affected family or isolated habitation is left behind.” said Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, MP, Koraput.
Ulaka cautioned that without structural, climate-resilient interventions, chronic flash flooding in Southern Odisha risks undoing decades of progress in rural road penetration, indigenous agriculture, and tribal welfare. He urged coordinated, time-bound execution between Union and State authorities to balance emergency relief with permanent disaster mitigation
