People's Democracy

         Declare Bihar Floods ‘A National Calamity’

THE team of Left Front MP’s, which visited the flood-affected parts of Bihar state to study the scale of damage, has asked the central government to declare this as a ‘national calamity’ and suitably undertake relief and rehabilitation measures on a war footing. In a statement issued here today, CPI(M) Lok Sabha member, Mahboob Zahedi, who led the team, underscored the need of urgently reaching food, drinking water, medical aid etc in the affected areas.

The team made an aerial survey of the flood affected areas on July 21, 2004, and also held discussions with the state chief secretary and other officials. Prabodh Panda, MP (CPI), and Alakesh Das MP (CPI-M), Subodh Roy, ex-MP (CPI-M) were the other team members.

Out of 37 districts in Bihar, 19 districts are flood affected, and the worst hit are Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Samastipur, Madhubani and Khagaria. And the districts extensively affected by these floods are Saharsa, Matihari, Araria, Muzafferpur, Begusarai, Supaul, East and West Champaran, Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnea, Madhepura and Bhagalpur.

According to the official estimates submitted to the team by the government of Bihar, nearly 172 blocks, 2,325 panchayats and 7,090 villages are inundated. The team observed during their survey that most of the areas inundated have become completely detached from the capital, with roads, railway lines, electricity, telephone lines etc all cut off.

The team felt that although ten airforce helicopters began relief work, it was much less than what was required. With the flood situation very grave, these helicopters are unable to provide relief to the remote areas. The state chief secretary informed the team that 351 camps were set up and 239 medical teams pressed into service by the government of Bihar. Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, CPI(M) state secretary was present along with the team during its meeting with the chief secretary.

Though officially the toll has been put at 163, the team felt that it would be much higher and it would be known only once the flood water recedes. It thought that in all about 3 crore people have been affected by the floods and that the gravity of these floods was much higher than it was in 1987.

The team wanted the government to take steps to check the blackmarketing of essential goods and also help the farmers by supplying fertilizer seeds and providing loans. It also wanted the government to declare a moratorium on all loans advanced to farmers. Not only should the recovery of the loans be kept in abeyance for the time being but also the poor peasants should be exempted from payment of loans with interest.