The Hindu : National : Manmohan lessens burden of heavy minds

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Monday, Jan 10, 2005

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National

Manmohan lessens burden of heavy minds

By Vinay Kumar

CAMPBELL BAY, JAN. 9. Tears rolled down the cheeks of Gurnam Kaur, a school teacher, whose sorrow broke all barriers on seeing the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, at a relief camp here on Saturday. Along with her are women from other affected families, hailing from Vijaynagar, Shastrinagar and Gandhinagar — all nearby coastline settlements washed away in the December 26 tsunami-waves.

Gurnam Kaur is the first one to get an audience with Dr. Singh who listens to her patiently. ``Everything is destroyed, our homes, agricultural lands, coconut trees, paddy crop. My ex-serviceman father had settled here in 1969, now my parents are too old. We have lost everything and are camping here. The Government should resettle us in our State of Punjab,'' she breaks down while recounting it all to the Prime Minister.

Other women too, some speaking in Punjabi, tell Dr. Singh of their misery and devastation brought upon by the killer waves at Campbell Bay, where 3,912 persons have been put up in 16 relief camps. Of a total population of 7,566 spread over 44 villages, 71 people had died, 16 are still missing and 816 have been evacuated.

``My children and other families had climbed up to the highest point, Tekri, in Vijaynagar. For three days we were perched there without any shelter and food but no help came. Rains brought further misery and then we trudged along to reach the relief camp. We had coconut plantations, betel nuts, paddy and cloves but waves as high as coconut trees wreaked havoc and saline water damaged our crop and fields. Everything is gone. Instead of Punjab we had made Andamans our home. Where will we go now?" she says trying hard to keep her sobs in check.

``Hygiene a problem''

At another make-shift tented camp, the Prime Minister asks Kusum, a teacher from Uttaranchal who is working among the survivors, about the problems being faced. ``Hygiene remains a problem. Food, medicines and clothes have been given. There is a pregnant woman who needs a nutritional diet,'' she briefs Dr. Singh, who also meets Moses Israel, Paul and Sitaram Chinkanm, assuring them that the Government remained firm in its commitment in helping affected families tide over the crisis and start life afresh.

Almost similar tales of sorrow await the Prime Minister. Among those whose turn came were C. Subramanyam, S. Veerappan, Ashok Singh, Arabinda Bala, Dara Singh, all ex-servicemen settlers in coastline colonies for the past 30 years now facing the stark reality of sources of their livelihood getting wiped out. ``We are being given ``khichri'' thrice a day but we need some ``chappatis'', there is no wheat flour and we are also running short of clothes and blankets,'' they tell Dr. Singh, who clasps their hands in a gesture of reassurance and support and instructs the officials to arrange for flour in a day. A 15-year-old boy, Gurpreet Singh, is also in the camp with his father, lamenting the loss of his mother who was washed away by the waves in Vijaynagar colony. There is Sanjay Kumar, belonging to an ex-serviceman family from Uttar Pradesh, which had settled here. There are several others whose tales of misery, suffering and destruction would probably never be told.

Ex-servicemen's woes

Ex-servicemen have also lost their pension or service related papers and bank documents. ``The Government will take a lenient view and amend the rules and regulations. Even for missing persons whose bodies have not been found, we will look into modifying rules for death certificates,'' assures Dr. Singh. Several survivors complain of uniform grant of Rs. 2,000 for each family by the local government irrespective of the size of affected family and demand financial aid commensurate with the number of their family members.

In adversity too, there is opportunity. It was proved here by a group of 200 boys, all from families of fishermen who were led by Durga Prasad in launching a small boat in the sea to fetch relief material from ships anchored deeper as the jetty there was washed away.

Three islands — Pillow Millow, Pillow Bhabi and Kondul — still remain inaccessible, informs Omveer Singh Bishnoi, an Assistant Commissioner of Delhi Police, who has been working at a relief camp here for a week.

Shakeel Ahmed, vice-chairman of the Nehru Yuvak Kendra, the former Union Ministers, Sanjay Singh, and Mukul Wasnik and the Delhi Youth Congress chief, Rajesh Lilothia, are among the team of 10-Congressmen, deputed by the party chief, Sonia Gandhi, to work in the worst-hit region of the archipelago.

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