Author: Editorial
Publication: The Statesman
Date: September 22, 2003
Introduction: Left Front must rise
above vested interests
The war against the fury of the
Ganga in Malda has to be fought on two fronts. One, it is an annual scourge
calling for preventive action well before swirling waters overrun hundreds
of villages leaving thousands homeless every year. The fact that floods
have been particularly severe this year is no excuse for lack of preparedness.
Two, it involves a relentless effort to check erosion, something the Left
Front calls a "national problem'' while blaming the Centre for not providing
adequate finds. The question remains as to whether Central funds will be
used to provide work to favoured contractors who have made a mess of embankments
and there is no evidence of how hundreds of crores have been spent. What
guarantee is there that implementation of a Rs 900 crore master plan with
largely the same bunch of contractors will protect villages on the banks
of the river? Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, despite his earnestness, is not
able to control the administration-contractor axis. Perhaps his predecessor
can help identify the culprits. The victims were presented with a string
of ritual promises when Asim Dasgupta visited the disaster site in August
that the state would provide funds to build new houses. The uprooted villagers
have discovered the bluff. Police and relief officials make it worse by
blaming each other over breaches in the dykes - the former finding fault
with the construction and the latter pointing accusing fingers at criminals
who play havoc even when the police are supposed to maintain a round-the-clock
vigil.
Where does all this leave the villagers?
The explanation lies in the law and order problem that arises only because
the government has failed in its duty. That means providing relief and
rehabilitation without calculating whether it is worth helping the Congress-dominated
districts of Malda and Murshidabad. This is a human tragedy of enormous
proportions which by the Left Front's own estimate may have left lakhs
of people without basic necessities. Is this the time to play politics
with the people's distress? Fortunately, organisations like the Ramakrishna
Mission and the Merchants' Chamber have arrived with supplies for stranded
children. That cannot take the place of administrative action or remove
tensions caused by cadres wanting to provide relief on political lines.
Before more villages disappear into the waters leaving many more people
dead or homeless, Alimuddin Street might ask itself whether it would have
allowed the tragedy to persist in a district where its writ runs. Saving
Malda is not simply about getting funds from the Centre; it is about curbing
vested interests - and demonstrating the will to act.
