Visakhapatnam: Residents of Uddanam in Srikakulam district are getting increasingly angry as the failure of the official machinery to restore normalcy even five days after Cyclone Titli ravaged the region.
People residing in Palasa, Kasibugga, Kaviti, Pundi, Tekkali, Santabommali and Vajrapukotturu areas complain that they lack the basic necessities, thanks to the poor administration by officials.
Though the state government has announced several relief measures for the victims, around 60 per cent of the population is starving here. Lack of power, water supply and public transport facilities means the people were dependent on voluntary organisations for drinking water and food packets.
According to the victims, electricity poles are not yet fixed in these areas. Some individuals have hired diesel generators for their homes, but the rest are suffering in darkness.
Essential commodities like milk packets are also not available. Children, who had came from the city for the Dasara holidays, are suffering in their homes.
“An NGO supplied bread and milk for one day in our village. Another voluntary organisation distributed food in our area today (Monday). A local leader has engaged water tankers to supply drinking water to the houses. However, there is nothing done by the government so far,” said B. Somesh, a resident of Uddanam Narsingapalle.
The authorities have failed to restore electricity poles, mobile towers and water supply lines that were damaged during the cyclonic storm. The people are also facing several sanitation issues as the broken tree branches and other waste haven’t been cleared. Some people have protested, seeking immediate relief measures in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, relatives of the cyclone victims living in other parts of the world are concerned about their well-being but could not contact them due to the problems in communication network.
With the collapse of electricity poles and mobile towers, cell phones are of little use. K. Dharma Raju, native of a village in Srikakulam district, and presently residing at Hyderabad, claimed that the state government has ignored the Uddanam region once again. “The Chief Minister had rescued the residents of Vizag during Cyclone Hudhud, but has neglected the victims of Titli,” he said. Mr Raju urged the government to focus on rural areas also.
