Odisha Disaster Preparedness Under Scrutiny After Cyclone Arnab

Opposition criticism of Odisha's disaster management has intensified following deadly landslides in Kandhamal and flooding in Ganjam district linked to Cyclone 'Arnab'. BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sulata Deo has led the attack, holding the BJP-led state government responsible for gaps in preparedness and relief.

Deo expressed concern over the casualties and the suffering of people in the affected areas. She said the government had received advance warnings of heavy rain but had still failed to safeguard residents.

The Kandhamal landslide, she noted, killed a newborn and three members of the same family. Reports of villagers missing from the affected region, she said, made the relief situation even more urgent and called the government's rescue and relief management into question.

Deo pointed to the nearly year-long inactivity of the Doppler weather radar system. Without accurate, localised forecasts, she argued, the administration has struggled to anticipate extreme rainfall and act early to prevent damage.

She contrasted the current response with the disaster management model followed under former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. That administration, she said, had focused on inter-departmental coordination, early warning mechanisms and emergency response managed from a centralised control room. Deo alleged that the present government shows a lack of foresight, coordination and planning in dealing with crises.

The BJD leader urged the government to immediately step up rescue operations for people stuck in flood and landslide-hit areas. She also asked for assured supplies of food, safe drinking water and medicines, along with proper medical treatment.

Deo called on BJD leaders and workers across Odisha to support families in crisis. She said that saving lives and providing urgent relief must be the government's top priority, and that those responsible for the alleged failures in disaster management must be held accountable.