Berhampur: Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday accused the state government of leaving flood-hit people “utterly helpless” and said the relief announced was negligible compared with their losses, drawing a sharp response from Odisha minister Gokulananda Mallik.“The situation people are facing in Aska is unspeakable. I met those affected by the floods and understood their problems. The government has left people utterly helpless. The aid announced is negligible compared to the losses,” Patnaik posted on X after touring some of the flood-affected areas in Ganjam.Patnaik urged the state government to immediately compensate flood-hit people, particularly farmers, as he toured some of the worst-affected areas in Hinjili, Sheragada, Aska and Sorada and interacted with residents.“I heard the sufferings of the farmers and local residents. The farmers are in distress. The damage caused by the floods due to cyclone Arnab is very huge,” said Naveen, who is also leader of opposition in the state assembly.At several places, farmers showed him rotting paddy plants and apprised him of the extent of damage to crops and infrastructure.“The standing crops have been damaged because water remained in the fields for several days. We showed him the damaged plants. He was very emotional after hearing about our plight,” a group of farmers at Burupada near Hinjili said.Ganjam was among the worst-hit districts after the Rushikulya and its tributaries swelled following heavy rain in the aftermath of cyclone Arnab, which made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Oct 28.The BJD chief has represented Hinjili assembly constituency for six consecutive terms since 2000. He was also twice elected to the Lok Sabha from Aska following the death of his father and former chief minister Biju Patnaik.Countering Naveen, Mallik said chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had already announced a major relief package for flood-affected people in Ganjam.“The relief distribution is going on in different affected panchayats. Compensation for the flood damage has already been announced by the chief minister. The affected farmers will get it after assessment of crop damage,” he said, adding that Majhi was monitoring the situation.Mallik said politics should be avoided during a disaster.