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Friday, April 29, 2005
300 coconut and areca nut trees = Rs 2
Subir Bhaumik of the BBC writes about the benevolence of the local government in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, where villagers have recieved tsunami compensation amounts of as little as Rs 2. The report says:
The report cites other such instances of residents getting ludicrously small amounts of compensation. I'm not surprised. I had travelled through Tamil Nadu after the tsunami struck (my blog posts through that journey are archived here) and time and again I found that, barring a few exceptions, the government was utterly inefficient. On a trip a few years earlier to Latur, after it was struck by an earthquake, I'd found that most relief material never reached the people they were intended to, but instead entered a well-organised black market. A natural disaster creates an industry of its own, with politicians and government servants being major players in the markets that open up. And the best relief work is done not by the government, but by individuals and private groups.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is not the only place where there is something black in the lentil soup, as you surely must know by now if you've been following this.
The BBC has seen a cheque for two rupees sent to Charity Champion, who lives in the village of Nancowrie, an island in the worst hit Nicobar group.
"I lost 300 coconut and areca nut trees in the tsunami, with damage running up to 20,000 rupees ($457)," Charity told the BBC.
"But even judging by the government's assessment of damage, I should have received at least five to six thousand rupees ($114-$137).
"You don't pay two rupees even for a broken window pane."
Her nearest bank demands a deposit of 500 rupees to open an account. She said she was in no mood to do that, just to cash in her two rupee cheque.
The report cites other such instances of residents getting ludicrously small amounts of compensation. I'm not surprised. I had travelled through Tamil Nadu after the tsunami struck (my blog posts through that journey are archived here) and time and again I found that, barring a few exceptions, the government was utterly inefficient. On a trip a few years earlier to Latur, after it was struck by an earthquake, I'd found that most relief material never reached the people they were intended to, but instead entered a well-organised black market. A natural disaster creates an industry of its own, with politicians and government servants being major players in the markets that open up. And the best relief work is done not by the government, but by individuals and private groups.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is not the only place where there is something black in the lentil soup, as you surely must know by now if you've been following this.
