Bhubaneswar, Nov. 11 -- Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg countered allegations of lapses in flood management in Ganjam district, responding on Wednesday to the questions raised by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik and former Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra.

Rejecting the criticism, Garg clarified the circumstances behind the flooding and outlined the steps taken by the State government to manage the situation. She attributed the crisis to unprecedented rainfall and maintained that ensuring dam safety and preventing loss of life were the government's foremost priorities.

Addressing concerns over the release of water from dams, the Chief Secretary argued that attributing the flooding solely to the discharge of water from dams woul...