Quake victims lose trust in Govt.

By Manas Dasgupta

BHUJ (Kutch), MARCH 18. Even more than 50 days after the killer- quake that struck Gujarat on the Republic Day, miseries of the affected people are still far from being mitigated in the worst- hit Kutch district. The debris have remained where they were and the shelterless people are still spending their days and nights in the makeshift tents uncertain about the future.

While governmental efforts have fallen far short of expectations, the people's initiatives to return to normality is being blunted by the administration. Even the voluntary organisations, keen to extend a helping hand to the suffering, have become victims of the Government's indecision.

The people in the affected urban areas have lost confidence and the rural folks are still waiting for something to happen. The non-government organisations (NGOs) are conducting surveys, assessing damage and listing the requirements waiting for the Government to decide upon the guidelines on temporary and permanent structures before the monsoon.

The temperature is rising in the district and so are the temperament of the people living in the open or under galvanised tin or tarpaulin sheets. The officials are finding it difficult to pacify the angry people.

The rubble has not been cleared in the towns of Bhuj, Bhachau and Anjar and in most of the villages as the Government is yet undecided on the relocation of the towns and villages.

Barring one or two, distribution of relief materials have been suspended by the voluntary organisations on the instruction from the Government to make people earn their livelihood and give the revival of economy a try. While the rural poor flush with relief supplies are unwilling to join the relief works, the shelterless urban poor and the middle class have neither been supplied with basic necessities nor any job.

The cleaning operations by the Kandla Port Trust at Gandhidham should set an example for the authorities responsible for other areas. The officials who favour relocation are not allowing removal of debris fearing that people would return to the same, unsafe constructions.

While the people of Rapar said they decided against relocation because they lacked confidence in the Government, in Anjar where the people in principle have accepted the Government's suggestion for relocation, the bungling over allocation of lands for reconstruction and indecision on design and materials of the houses to be constructed have left the people at lurch. For the people of Bhuj and Bhachau and over 470 severely affected villages, it is an endless wait.

The Government is still debating over the temporary or semi- permanent structures, whether to go for pre-fabricated plastic- cement houses or begin with temporary one-room houses constructed in the mud-random rubble masonry work or the quake- proof bamboo- thatched roof dwelling units.

The sample houses constructed with divergent materials recoverable from the debris, soil-cement mixed bricks, bamboos and jute or plain plywood structures with tin roofing to modern unconventional pre-fabricated plastic houses claimed to be popular in the quake-prone areas in the U.S., Canada or Japan, are on display at various places in Bhuj, Anjar and other places. Nothing further can happen till the Government decides upon the `adoption policy' and finalise the shares of expenditures between the State, NGOs and various financial institutions willing to adopt the affected villages.

In many of the cases such as cash compensations or the governmental assistance for repairing and reconstruction of the damaged hutments, the decisions have been taken in Gandhinagar but necessary ``Government Resolutions'' (GR) have not reached the affected areas.

Officials admit that the delay in providing shelters may cause law and order problem in the district.

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