Berhampur: On the second day of its visit, an eight-member central team inspected the damage caused by floods and landslides in Ganjam district in the aftermath of cyclonic storm Arnab, which made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on Oct 28.Led by Ravi Shankar from the ministry of home affairs, the team inspected the river banks, sand casting of standing crops, irrigation projects, roads, bridges, electric poles, infrastructure facilities of the subdivisional hospital in Aska, and collapsed houses in Aska, Purushottampur and Dharakote blocks.Revenue divisional commissioner (RDC), southern division Vijay Amrut Kulange, and Ganjam collector Keerthi Vasan V, who accompanied the central team, briefed them about the loss caused by heavy rain and subsequent floods in river Rushikulya and its tributaries.Ganjam was the worst hit, with over one lakh people, the standing paddy crops on around one lakh hectares and small businesses in Aska and Sheragada affected.The team earlier visited Gajapati, another affected district, on Tuesday.The central team is scheduled to hold a discussion with the state govt in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. The central govt is expected to sanction flood assistance to the affected district, as per their recommendations, sources said.Meanwhile, social activists urged govt to declare the flood a “national disaster” and compensate the affected farmers. “The extreme rain and subsequent floods have broken the backbone of the farmers. They should be compensated with adequate assistance beyond the norms of the relief code,” said N Damburu Reddy, ex-zilla parishad member.Prafulla Samantara, a social activist, urged govt to form a “Ganjam district reconstruction authority”.