Friday, August 3, 2007

Bihar Floods

NO BOATS OR RELIEF,
CHOPPERS CARRY ONLY POLITICIANS TO FLOOD HIT BIHAR

By Vikram Kumar

Darbhanga: Every year heavy rainfall in Nepal brings floods, misery and death to districts in North Bihar but despite this the district administrations in Darbhanga, Madhubani and Samastipur and other places do not have a single boat of their own.
And Bihar's chief minister Nitish Kumar finally returns from his Mauritius jaunt only to find most of his state Bihar under water and virtually no relief having been undertaken.
At a press meet in Darbhanga town where flood waters have inundated most on the town, the Commissioner of Darbhanga admits that the district administration does not own a single boat. "But we have pressed 55o boats into service, each boat in the name of politicians from the village head to the Member of Parliament."
But we see no boats ferrying people free of charge in flooded Darbhanga and most likely the 550 boats are only on paper for which money will be given to the people's representatives once the flood is over...Many in Darbhanga thrive on relief and floods!
The government admits to only few deaths with the number not being more than 30 but just at the Jhanjharpur embankment there are 33 breaches this year, every breach kills at least a few so the numbers of flood victims could be very high this year.
Meanwhile, there is petrol rationing in Darbhanga as its highways remain cut-off and there is no petrol supply to the district causing great hardship.
But one difference this year is that there is a 24 hour electric supply at least in Darbhanga town so people can get their flour etc ground and they have a fan to beat the humid heat and can watch their misery live on TV.....

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Isn't it time for us to ask whether we should grant the state agencies the monopoly right to intervene during emergencies such as floods?
Also, the UN declared this present flood to be the worst in history. How are such claims made? Or are there hidden agenda behind such claims?
Barun