25 COMMUNITY KITCHENS IN FLOOD AFFECTED AREAS

25 COMMUNITY KITCHENS IN FLOOD AFFECTED AREAS

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RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------Residents and farmers in the flood-affected Shahpur block have breathed a sigh of relief as the water level of the Ganges River has begun to recede. Floodwaters have begun to recede gradually in several areas since Sunday. However, significant waterlogging persists on rural roads, preventing the restoration of road connectivity between many villages and the block headquarters. Commuting still relies primarily on boats.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate (DM) Manesh Kumar Meena inspected a community kitchen set up for displaced persons near the Shyam Baba Temple on the embankment close to Gaura village on Sunday. He tasted the food prepared in the kitchen and reviewed the register maintained for the beneficiaries. Subsequently, accompanied by officials, he surveyed the flood-affected areas using an SDRF boat. The DM issued necessary instructions regarding relief and rescue operations to DDC Arun Prakash, SDM Omprakash Lal, Circle Officer (CO) Anand Prakash, and Block Development Officer (BDO) Shatrunjay Kumar Singh.

The administration is arranging meals twice a day for the thousands of people displaced by the floods who are staying in community kitchens and shelters. Papu Rai, a resident of Damodarpur, mentioned that a mixed vegetable dish was served alongside dal and rice on Sunday. According to the administration, 25 community kitchens are currently operational across various panchayats.

Medical teams from the Health Department are also regularly visiting flood-affected areas to provide medical assistance. Patients are being examined and provided with free medicines. The DM stated that while floodwaters have started to recede, government services in the affected areas will continue for the time being.

CO Anand Prakash informed that a compensation cheque has been handed over to the family of Mithun Sharma, a youth from Shahpur Nagar Panchayat who died after drowning in the floodwaters. He stated that 110 government boats are currently in operation, and 8,500 polythene sheets have been distributed so far.