Odisha has released an additional Rs 20 crore for flood relief and restoration in Ganjam, where nearly 43,000 people across 242 gram panchayats have been affected by torrential rain following Cyclone Arnab. Relief materials are being air-dropped at 21 locations, while the administration works to restore roads, bridges and electricity supply in areas cut off by flooding.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari conducted an aerial survey of affected areas in Ganjam and neighbouring Gajapati. The survey was carried out two days after Cyclone Arnab made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast and triggered extremely heavy rain across south Odisha.
Majhi said protecting the lives and property of people was the government’s “utmost priority”. He added that the administration was working round the clock to maintain supplies of food, drinking water and emergency healthcare for affected residents.
The latest allocation is in addition to the Rs 5 crore released to Ganjam before the cyclone made landfall. The state has also temporarily deployed 30 Odisha Administrative Service and Odisha Revenue Service officers to coordinate and supervise relief and restoration operations in the district.
Pujari said four helicopters were being used to drop food packets and other relief materials at locations that remained difficult to access because of flooding. The operation is intended to reach communities where road access has been disrupted and ground-based delivery remains difficult.
The administration has issued instructions to expedite rescue and relief operations, repair damaged roads and bridges, restore electricity and address post-flood health concerns. Special relief commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said damage assessment was under way, indicating that the full extent of losses had not yet been established.
The response highlights the operational pressure placed on district administrations when flooding simultaneously disrupts transport links, power supply, access to essential goods and healthcare delivery. In Ganjam, the immediate relief effort is being managed through additional funding, aerial delivery, field-level officer deployment and coordination between state and district authorities.
President Droupadi Murmu also spoke to Majhi by phone and enquired about the situation in Odisha. The chief minister briefed her on the impact of the disaster and the rescue, relief and restoration work under way. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Murmu expressed concern over the situation and assured support.
The state government’s next steps are to continue rescue and relief operations, complete the damage assessment, restore damaged infrastructure and address health risks in the post-flood period. The scale of the response is expected to be guided by conditions in affected locations and the assessment of damage across Ganjam and Gajapati.
