BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Naveen Patnaik Government goes on an announcement spree keeping in mind the panchayat polls, Opposition seems to have found a new ammunition in flood mismanagement to take on the former. The stand-off between the State Government and Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare on the issue of mismanagement of Hirakud reservoir water which allegedly led to the devastating flood has given an opportunity to the Opposition to corner the Government on the issue.Congress and BJP have been alleging from the beginning that the flood was manmade and could have been avoided with better management of Hirakud dam water. The Governor’s stand has now added more credence to the allegations. In the midst of the allegations and counter allegations, the BJD has stepped up its preparations for the panchayat polls scheduled in February next. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been pro-active since the flood and visited almost all the flood- hit districts. Besides, his announcements including construction of cement concrete roads (CCRs) in the flood-affected villages and launching of the Biju Setu Yojana (BSY) are likely to go down well in the flood-hit areas. The two schemes have, however, drawn Opposition criticism and doubts have been expressed about their feasibility. The Congress has decided to strike back by announcing a Statewide padayatra from November 14 to 19. It will be conducted at the panchayat level focusing on the failure of the State Government. The main issue will be how the State Government failed in management of the Hirakud dam water which led to the flood in which 41 people were killed and there was largescale damage to property, party spokesman Arjya Kumar Gyanendra said. The Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has also raised questions on the State Government’s attempt to utilise ` 1,298 crore within 45 days for restoration work. This will open the floodgates for corruption, Gyanendra said and added that such a huge sum could not be spent even in a year in the past. The BJP, the erstwhile ally of the BJD, has also stepped up its activities keeping an eye on the panchayat polls. Several national leaders of the party had already visited the flood-affected areas and more are likely to do so in the future. However, the Biju Bichar Manch (BBM) floated by BJD dissident Damodar Rout is likely to emerge as the main source of irritant for the BJD in the panchayat polls. The BBM will support ‘good’ candidates, Rout said.
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