The Hindu : BSP sees inadequate flood relief

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2003

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BSP sees inadequate flood relief

By Our special Correspondent

LUCKNOW SEPT. 16 .The Bahujan Samaj Party members today staged a walk out in the Uttar Pradesh State Assembly in protest against the failure of the Government to accept their demand for an increase in the payment of compensation to the flood victims.

The leader of the BSP in the House, Swami Prasad Maurya, and others who sought to discuss the flood situation in the State through an adjournment motion alleged that the Government had failed to take necessary steps to provide relief to the flood victims. While more than 23 lakh people in over 3000 villages were reeling under severe floods no minister had cared to visit the affected areas. This proved the insensitivity of the Government to the people's problems, they said.

While 33 districts had been affected by the floods, areas in eastern U.P. and the Bundelkhand region were the worst hit, the Opposition members pointed out. In most of these areas the administration had done nothing to provide a succour to the victims, they alleged.

The BSP members demanded that the Government announce a payment of Rs 5 lakhs each to the next of kin of those who had died and Rs 20,000 for those who had lost their houses due to floods.

The Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, while replying to the points raised by the BSP members chided them for the inaction of the previous Government headed by Ms Mayawati to tackle the flood situation. The present Government had won the trust vote in the Assembly only on September 8 and only a week had passed since then. If no adequate steps had been taken on time to protect the people against the natural calamity, only the preceding Government should be blamed, he said.

The Chief Minister assured the House that the Government would take all necessary steps to help the victims. Instructions had been issued to do the needful but he was not satisfied with the steps taken so far. He assured to take strict action against any official who was found guilty of dereliction of duty in dealing with the flood situation.

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