740 villages marooned in Orissa, flood toll mounts to 61

Bhubaneswar (PTI): As flood waters receded from parts of Orissa's Mahanadi delta region, relief and restoration gained pace with allocation of funds, even as death toll mounted to 61.

While people clamoured for relief in as many as 740 villages which were still marooned, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik claimed that relief had reached all the affected places.

"As many as four lakh quintals of rice and other relief materials were sent to the flood-affected areas. The relief distribution had already started in most of the places," Patnaik told reporters after reviewing the situation.

Stating that the government was working on a package for the affected farmers, Patnaik said provisions would be made to immediately supply seeds and activate lift irrigation projects to help farmers to resume agricultural activities.