Cyclone victims collect polythene sheets to repair their damaged houses from a relief centre in Balasore. Telegraph picture

Balasore, Oct. 23: Banakatira villager Kulamani Das had to take to street to protest against a member of his ward, who had allegedly indulged in “vote bank politics” over distributing relief materials to Phailin victims.

Like Das, many a villager of Banakatira yesterday staged a demonstration in front of the district collector’s office.

They alleged that they were being deprived of the relief materials because of the ward member’s interference.

“The ward member said those, who had not given him vote, wouldn’t get relief materials. We have come to meet the collector to protest against that,” said Das.

District collector B. Parameswaran said: “I have asked the relief teams to take the help of local police inspector in the problematic areas. The works should be accomplished without any political discriminations.”

However, the standing instruction and the relief operations, especially in the flood-ravaged Remuna, Baliapal, Bhograi and Sadar blocks, appear to grossly mismatch.

Sources said a few block development officers and tehsildars had informed the collector that owing to political reasons, they could not enter a few villages as the party members were not permitting them to carry out relief operations in those areas.

The district collector reviewed the relief measures yesterday evening.

Additional district magistrate Akshay Mohanty said: “The officials have been asked to inform us immediately in case problems due to political interference.”

Moreover, apart from the political hindrances, non-availability of transport at the government-approved rates to ferry relief materials to the delivery points and inadequate manpower have also compounded the cyclone victims’ misery in this district.

However, civil supplies officer Amar Mohapatra said: “The government-approved rates for the first 1km is Rs 12.50 and Rs 0.50 more for each subsequent kilometre. So, the transporters would be able to keep their margin and finding transport should not be a problem.”

The district collector asked the officials to deliver the relief materials at the gram panchayat headquarters, schools or other safe buildings in case the distance was more than 2km from the affected patch.

“I have asked the revenue officers to take the help of village-level workers in the relief operations. The teachers can be used sparingly in some exceptional cases since schools have already opened,” said the collector.