Bhubaneswar, Nov. 27: A central team is expected to visit the drought-affected areas of Odisha next week to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. However, the date of the visit is yet to be finalised.

Official sources said the Union agriculture ministry constituted a nine-member team after the state government sent an interim memorandum to the Centre. The 52-page memorandum had sought an interim assistance of Rs 1,687 crore to deal with the situation.

However, the Union home ministry, which usually deals with the release of assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in such situations, has not constituted any team to visit the state's drought-hit belt so far.

The BJD had earlier criticised the Centre for not releasing any money to Odisha from the NDRF to deal with the drought situation.

However, the BJP had hit back saying that the state government did not submit any memorandum to the Centre.

"How can the Centre release assistance without a memorandum on the basis of which there will be field visit by a central team," asked BJP leader Samir Mohanty.

The BJP leader also pointed out that the state government had hurriedly submitted an interim memorandum recently, but the final one was yet to be submitted.

Earlier on October 7, a five-member central team visited four drought-affected districts of the state. The team led by additional commissioner of agriculture ministry R.P. Malik visited a few areas in Balangir, Bargarh, Kandhamal and Sonepur districts, where crop loss had occurred due to insufficient rainfall.

The next day, the team visited parts of Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Khurdha and Boudh districts.

The central team had come to Odisha on the initiative of Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan, who took up the matter with Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh. Singh then sought a report on the impact of dry spells in Odisha.

However, the Odisha agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy expressed doubts over the efficacy of the central team's visit. "It was just an eye wash," he said.

On October 15, the state government announced a package of about Rs 1,000 crore for the drought-hit farmers, who have sustained crop loss of 33 per cent or more.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the drought package on the basis of the eye estimation report of the agriculture department on crop situation.