Opposition parties accuse Majhi government of mishandling flood situation in Odisha

Image used for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

The Biju Janata Dal and the Congress on Tuesday (November 10, 2026) accused the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government in Odisha of mishandling disasters, particularly the floods in Ganjam district, alleging that its failure to manage the situation had compounded people’s suffering.

Also read | Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik visits Ganjam amidst criticism of not meeting flood-hit people

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, BJD supremo and Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik said, “The floods have caused massive damage to infrastructure, extensive crop losses, loss of lives and destruction of livelihoods. It is deeply unfortunate that Ganjam has been set back by several years due to negligence by the State government.”

“A Standard Operating Procedure in cyclone and flood management is to release adequate water from dams prior to rains. However, in the case of Ganjam, water from the dams was released by the Water Resources Department after the onset of heavy cyclonic rains. This compounded the floods and caused huge loss to life and property,” Mr. Patnaik pointed out.

‘Manmade crisis’

“People have complained that adequate warning was not given to them before the gates were opened. This gross negligence and manmade crisis raise serious issues of accountability. People are demanding strict action against those responsible for such a serious lapses,” he said.

Alleging delay in providing relief to flood-hit people, the former Chief Minister said, “just paying lip service will not work. A focused whole of government approach should be undertaken to provide timely compensation and to boost the confidence of farmers, women, youth, small traders and the common people of Ganjam district.”

“Being a coastal State, Odisha will always remain vulnerable to natural disasters and hence with sustained effort and foresight, the BJD government had built a community based, resilient, disaster management system that is globally acclaimed. Sarpanches, panchayati raj institution members and Mission Shakti played a major role in this. Neglect of sarpanches and near closure of the Mission Shakti programme by the BJP government diluted this successful community-based response system,” Mr. Patnaik alleged.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhakta Charan Das was equally scathing in his criticism of the BJP and the BJD. “The BJP government is as much responsible for the recent floods in Ganjam district due to faulty water management and its failure to open dam gates in time as the previous BJD government, which failed to take any lasting measures to prevent floods despite remaining in power for 24 years,” Mr. Das said on Tuesday (November 10).

“Despite repeated warnings from the India Meteorological Department, the water levels in all six dams were not brought down between October 23 and 28,” he alleged.

The State Congress chief questioned why relief distribution among the affected people was being carried out by BJP workers.

“Due to the torrential rainfall, the water level of the Rushikulya river at Janibili crossed the previous highest flood levels recorded in 1990 and 2013. More than 800 villages across the district were inundated, leaving thousands of families homeless. Asika and Purushottampur witnessed scenes comparable to the devastating Uttarakhand disaster,” he said. Both Mr. Patnaik and Mr. Das termed Ganjam floods man-made.

Published - November 10, 2026 08:09 pm IST