Air Force offers to take up carcass disposal task

The IAF had proposed that choppers could carry the teams along with kerosene oil to different spots like Ersama in Jagatsinghpur district who would be dropped there for the operation. They could be picked up by the choppers later, group captain H P S Matt told newsmen here.

8220;We are open to any suggestion as long as it helps in disposing off the carcasses. For that we have been engaging voluntary organisations who are offering to work, the state8217;s special relief commissioner, 8221; D N Padhi said.Padhi, however, refused to hazard a guess as to whatcould be the ultimate death toll in the tragedy billed as the worst in the state8217;s history since the great famine of 1866.

Any death is unfortunate and I would not like to either estimate and guesstimate a figure, he said even as reports from Paradip said that over 5,000 could have perished in the Ersama and Kujang blocks alone.

Meanwhile, the state government, through a resolution constituted an Orissa cyclone relief and reconstruction fund to mobilise resources to undertake the massive task of relief and rehabilitation in the cyclone ravaged areas. The death toll in Jagatsinghpur district, where the largest number of casualty was apprehended, remained static at 765 for the third day, followed by Cuttack 295, Puri 286, and Kendrapara 147.

The IAF helicopters, eight Mi-8 and two Chetaks, continued their mercy mission even as more stocks and boats were flown in by Il-76 and AN-32 transport aircraft. Our effort will continue till the situation on the ground stabilises, group captain Matt said.

Thegovernment reiterated its stand today that no epidemic had broken out anywhere in the affected belt with the SRC admitting that 11 people, ten in Cuttack district alone, had since died of gastroenteritis. This, however, was not symptomatic of outbreak of any epidemi, he contended.

Padhi said that private doctors, in a rare gesture, had come forward to help in the affected areas as assistance was forthcoming from several states who were prepared to rush doctors, para-medics and vehicles. Fifteen doctors would arrive from Tamil Nadu today, he said. The government had already deployed 815 doctors in the affected districts.

The SRC said the district collectors had been asked to organise fodder for the cattle while cattle feed was being procured from Gujarat through the animal resources development department.

The government also issued instructions that all schools and colleges, closed in the affected area indefinitely, should function from the next working day. But collectors were given the discretion tokeep the institutions closed if such a step was warranted.

Brig R S Rawat, sub-area commander for Bihar and Orissa, told reporters that Army jawans had provided drinking water to about 10,000 people in the Astarang and Kakatpur areas yesterday.

The situation in the Ersama area, however, continued to be grim with most areas still under water and the place could be identified from the choppers because of the huge number of carcasses floating around.

Asked if he saw any bodies in that area, Brig Rawat said that he could see one body today though he spotted bodies being cremated at four or five places. There were about a dozen pyres which had been used earlier, he said.We could see a large number of trucks moving on the roads which had become accessible in the Paradip, Mahakalpara and Jagatsinghpur areas carrying relief, he said. He said that national highway number five, which had been breached near Soro, was opened to traffic yesterday after being repaired.