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Imran Khan in Bhubaneswar
Faced with hunger and disease and angered by the state's sluggish relief effort, flood victims in Orissa have begun attacking government officials involved in distribution of food grains and other essentials.
Four block development officers and their staff have already faced the wrath of hungry villagers.
Reports reaching Bhubaneswar from some of the worst affected coastal districts said the resentment against government officials is building with the delay in distribution of relief material.
Revenue Minister Biswabhusan Harichan has admitted that nearly 400,000 people have not yet been reached by relief agencies.
A BDO was beaten up in Niali block of Cuttack district on Monday by angry flood victims, while two government employees were held hostage by villagers in Jagatsinghpur.
Similar incidents have been reported from worst-hit Puri, Khurda and Kenderapara districts also.
Confirming reports of attacks on government staff, sources in the special relief commissioner's office in Bhubaneswar said: "We have received reports of such incidents. But I must say that we are trying our level best to reach as many flood victims as fast as possible."
Police recently arrested a storage agent in Kenderapara and seized 10 truckloads of rice, chuda and other relief material from his godown. Several other storage agents have also been accused of hoarding relief material.
A senior police officers said 27 complaints have been filed by government officials who were manhandled by flood victims.
As per latest official figures, 8.2 million people in 12,918 villages have been affected by the floods in Orissa.
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