People's Democracy

THE AIKS and AIAWU Bihar state units have demanded immediate declaration of entire Bihar state as "famine affected" and take consequent measures of providing relief to the people. Both organisations held militant demonstrations at many district headquarters in the state on August 9.

At Khagaria, people squatted on rail tracks for a long time. The police resorted to brutal lathicharge injuring dozens of people, including local CPI(M) MLA, Yogendra Singh and senior Kisan Sabha leader Geeta Yadav. On August 14, the Left parties organised protest dharna at Patna and have decided to jointly intervene at district and taluk level. They are demanding relief to affected people on war footing, compensation for the damaged crops live stocks, houses and for the people who lost lives. They have also demanded that steps be taken to complete the ongoing dam works, repair damaged ones and the desilting of river beds on regular basis which has not been done for decades. They have demanded the centre to provide required funds and technology.

The entire North Bihar is reeling under severe floods while the south and central Bihar is facing severe drought. Though the official figure is only 325, more than five hundred people have lost their lives. Crops, livestocks, houses and other properties of thousands of crores of rupees has been damaged or swept away. Hundreds of roads have been breached and rail links disrupted at a number of points. More than six crores of population are forced to live in serious and inhuman condition for more than a month. And the ruling parties, both at centre and state, are merely accusing each other for this pathetic condition instead of providing immediate relief. Only some aerial surveys have been made and some pockets of relief material dropped from the air. These are nothing but a drop in the ocean and a cruel joke on the people of Bihar, said AIKS Joint Secretary N K Shukla in a statement on August 22.

The AIKS and AIAWU have also demanded that the centre must take steps to talk to Nepal without delay to complete the dams and to regulate the water flow and control the floods also. The major cause of floods was not due to rains in North Bihar, but because of water coming from Nepal after heavy rains in Himalayan mountains, almost every year. "So, the role of central government is much more than accusing only the state government. But the state machinery has also failed in contemplating the impending danger and providing immediate relief to the people. North Bihar flood is not a one time affair, so the both short term and long term steps are needed by the central and state government. Marooned people need concrete help and not the mutual bickering of the rulers", noted the statement issued by Shukla.