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The Politics Of Disaster
Politics has that uncanny and disgusting knack of making its presence felt at the least expected avenue and this becomes all that more unpleasant when it rears its ugly head during times of natural calamity and disasters. Even as the Steering Committee of the Secular Progressive Front has decided to press the bell and urge the Center to declare Manipur as a flood affected State, charge of favoritism and discrimination in the distribution of relief materials have already started flying thick and fast.
The most interesting part is the point that it is not only politicians who are indulging in this pet theme of trying to score a political point but also some voluntary organizations which have already jumped into the fray and started hurling accusations at officials of pocketing the aid meant for the flood affected people. Just one day after the redoubtable State unit BJP and MLA, Meinam Bhorot accused the Government of discrimination and favoritism in the distribution of relief material, IFCD Minister N Mangi brushed aside the charges, though without naming anyone and said that there is no room of politicizing the distribution of relief material. However much the honorable Minister N Mangi may deny the charges of discrimination and favoritism, we certainly do wish that the Government will take a look at the accusations hurled by some of the Opposition leaders and see if there is any room that can be corrected.
The flood situation is serious enough and for once petty politics should not be allowed to come in and obstruct the relief exercise taken up by the Government. Many paddy fields have been submerged and a number of dwelling houses swept away and destroyed not to mention the loss of human lives. Having said this, let’s now study how the Government proposes to work out the losses incurred due to the flood. Apart from Thoubal district, which has been declared as flood affected by its Deputy Commissioner, we do not have much of any official information for the other districts, this is, Imphal West, East and Bishnupur.
As the United Committee, Manipur in a distress call to the Prime Minister rightly pointed out, the intervention of Atal Behari Vajpayee is needed if the flood victims are to be adequately compensated and aided. As the Government has already notified, 47,800 hectares of paddy field have already been submerged by the flood and in Thoubal alone, 16,000 hectares were submerged which accounted for 85 percent of the land under paddy farming. The Government has also notified that a calamity team headed by the Special Secretary of the Union Home Department would be arriving here soon to take stock of the situation and assess the losses.
The task before the Government is clear. The need of the hour is to systematically work out the losses accrued from the flood and submit the same to the Center to lucidly and without any room for doubts. For this, proper co-ordination between the different Government Departments is needed. So far the exact number of human lives lost in the flood is yet unclear. Apart from the two kids washed away by the flood at Thoubal there has been no official account of how many people died at the marooned villages of Lilong.
The Agriculture Department is also yet to come out with an official statement of the loss accrued through the destruction of the standing crops. The Government is also yet to work out how much it will cost to repair the breached
embankments. As we had noted earlier in this column, the flood was a thing just waiting to happen and despite the best efforts put up by the Flood Control Department, there were too many yawning gaps for comfort. That same unpreparedness should not come back when the Government draws up the list of losses and damages.
The Center will not simply declare Manipur as a flood affected State if the SPF Government fails to furnish the required information which will convince the Center that the situation in indeed grave and only Central intervention can help the people cope with the disaster. And yes petty politicking is certainly not needed, most of all from some of the self righteous voluntary organizations which have no qualms on hurling accusations against officials without any proof.
(Courtesy: The
Sangai Express)
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