A man rows an improvised boat at Radhapur village in East Midnapore. (Pradip Sanyal)

Tamluk, June 21: The chief minister’s appeal to the administration and the panchayats to work together has failed to ensure better co-ordination between them.

East Midnapore officials cited several instances where relief could not be distributed because the rural bodies did not “fully co-operate”.

The Trinamul Congress, which swept the May rural polls in the district, boycotted the meeting called by the chief minister yesterday to co-ordinate efforts to help the flood-hit.

Most of the gunny bags packed with 7,000kg of puffed rice and 1,500kg of molasses lay piled at the Patashpur II block office, where army teams had taken them.

Around 10,000 people are marooned in their Mathura, Argoal and Southkundu villages in the area without any relief.

Egra subdivisional officer Siddhartha Shankar Chakraborty said: “The army had got the food, but the local panchayat seems reluctant to help us, almost as if to give us a bad name. People should not play politics at times of such crises.”

Local Trinamul leader Sisir Adhikary said he was waiting for the district administration to approach him for help. “Nobody invited us to come and help,” he said.

Chakraborty said: “At times like this, people should volunteer to help.”

In Chandipur block, at least four villages did not get any relief, though 2,500kg of puffed rice and molasses had arrived.

Of the 10 gram panchayat seats there, Trinamul had won seven.

Bhagabanpur I block had a similar story to tell.

Some East Midnapore officials also blamed CPM leaders for the situation, though the outgoing zilla parishad chief, Niranjan Sihi, said the party was helping the administration.

District magistrate Anup Agarwal said: “The problem is that political leaders are not available at all times for their own reasons.”

Mamata Banerjee today sent a directive to newly elected party members of the parishad, saying they must “help the administration”.