Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 28 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday visited flood-affected Chandili Panchayat under Kotpad block in Koraput district, interacted with villagers and assessed the impact of the flooding, while directing officials to ensure essential assistance reaches affected people on priority.
According to the Odisha Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Majhi, accompanied by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, also inspected the quality of cooked food being served at relief shelters and directed district administrations and concerned departments to ensure essential assistance reaches affected people on priority. 
The visit comes as heavy monsoon rains and rising river levels have triggered flooding in several parts of Odisha, affecting villages and disrupting road connectivity.
In Mayurbhanj district, the flood situation has affected 20 blocks, one municipality and one Notified Area Council (NAC), with Betnoti and Badasahi among the worst-affected areas.
Several villages, including Patalipura and Kalama in Betnoti block and Salagaon, Managobindapur, Chandanpur, Durgapur, Kendudiha and Balabhadrapur in Badasahi block, have been submerged, affecting homes and agricultural land.
Water levels on the Budhabalanga Nakhara bridge have also risen, with 2 to 3 feet of water reported on the bridge, disrupting movement. Traffic has come to a halt on routes connecting Betnoti with Badasahi and Manatri with Baisinga, according to the information provided.
Authorities have shifted 10,373 people to safer locations and set up 89 relief camps, while 72 free kitchen centres are operating to provide meals to affected residents.
Three teams of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and 18 fire service teams have been deployed in the worst-hit areas for rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile, floodwater has started receding from several areas, with conditions improving in Udala, Kaptipada, Bangiriposi and Saraskana. Some roads that were earlier cut off have also reopened.
However, schools from Class 1 to Class 12 have been ordered closed in seven Mayurbhanj blocks — Thakurmunda, Kaptipada, Udala, Gopabandhunagar, Khunta, Badasahi and Betnoti — as a precautionary measure.
The administration is continuing to monitor water levels and relief operations, with focus on providing food, drinking water and medical assistance to affected people, particularly those in remote and low-lying areas.
Separately, Majhi, speaking in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, defended the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the exercise was being conducted transparently with the use of digital technology.
He said the figure of 13 crore voters cited in connection with the SIR did not represent simple deletions, and claimed it included 2.8 crore deceased persons, 3 crore absent voters, 6.3 crore shifted voters and 1 crore people registered at multiple locations.
“Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being conducted by the Election Commission of India in a transparent manner, with digital technology being used in the process. 13 crore voters had not simply been deleted; the figure includes 2.8 crore deceased, 3 crore absent, 6.3 crore shifted, and 1 crore people registered at multiple locations. The exercise involves Booth Level Agents of political parties and provides voters with the right to file claims and objections,” Majhi told the media.
On the row surrounding the EC and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Majhi said the decisions of the poll panel were taken collectively after due deliberations.
He accused Congress of attempting to discredit constitutional institutions.
“Congress is attempting to discredit constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission, judiciary and media, and referred to the Emergency while questioning the party’s historical record. Wherever they win, everything is fine; wherever they lose, democracy is in danger. The attempts to undermine the country’s constitutional system are highly condemnable,” Majhi said.
This comes as the ECI is facing attack from the Opposition parties, as The Indian Express report said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders related to the SIR process and other electoral matters. The reported disagreements included issues concerning Form 6, voter deletions and access to electoral-roll databases.
Meanwhile, the EC has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent over final decisions. The poll panel said operational queries, inputs and suggestions raised during the draft stage were part of its standard administrative and decision-making process.
The poll body maintained that all decisions taken by the Commission, including those related to SIR, were unanimous and had the approval of all three commissioners. (ANI)