Bhubaneswar: The news of any cyclone passing through Odisha is always a source of headache, at least for those who are living in thatched houses in low-lying areas and farmers coming on the path of cyclone. This time is no different either when the weather scientists have already predicted the severity of cyclone Dana and which districts are going to be affected.
It is a race against time for the farmers to save the crops they have grown after a year’s hard labour and putting all their resources.
Since day one of the news of the cyclone circulated in the media, the farmers have been harvesting their unripe paddy in haste to get back at least some return.
Expressing his concern, Trinath Pradhan, a farmer, said, “My crops are not ready for harvest. Yet, I am cutting them employing machines and bringing them back to yards with the hope of at least getting something.”
Echoing the same, another farmer Jambeswar Rout said, “As the cyclone is approaching fast, we are harvesting our paddy and bringing them to yards. Or else, they would go to waste while submerged in rainwater. My crops were not ready for harvest. They would have readied in more 15 to 20 days. Yet, I had to cut them.”
The people living in thatched houses have been in a state of panic. However, the local administration has pulled its socks and kept the cyclone shelters ready so that, in case of any eventuality, people from low-lying areas and living in thatched houses can be shifted to shelters well in advance.