Bhubaneswar, Sept. 13: The BJP today demanded that the state government immediately review the prevailing drought situation in the state and take remedial measures to deal with it.

"We will meet the governor to apprise him of the prevailing situation in the state. We have sought his appointment," said BJP state unit president K.V. Singh Deo, who had recently led a fact-finding team to five drought-hit districts.

Singh Deo said the team had come across an alarming situation in Boudh, Sonepur, Balangir, Nuapada and Kalahandi districts. "This year's drought will be worse than the 1965 drought," he claimed.

Showing wilted paddy saplings, the BJP leader, who represents the Patnagarh Assembly constituency in Balangir, said the people of the affected districts were waiting for Nuakhai, a major festival in west Odisha, to get over. "After Nukhai, they will migrate to other states in search of employment."

He alleged that not a single government official had visited the people of the affected areas and enquired about the situation and the hardships they were facing. The departments concerned had not made any field visits to assess the situation.

"The BJP, therefore, wants the government to review the prevailing situation and send officials to assess the situation at the ground level," he said.

The BJP's fact-finding team had been on a three-day visit to the five districts, where the drought threat has worsened following deficient rainfall this monsoon.

Led by Singh Deo, the fact-finding team had legislative party leader Basant Panda, state vice-president Prithviraj Harichandan, state secretary Bhrigu Buxipatra and Krushak Morcha president Maheshwar Sahu as members. At the end of the visit, the team submitted its report to the party on September 10.

The BJP team's visit to the drought-hit areas came close on the heels of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's Save Farmer Padyatra in Bargarh district on September 10.