By Imran Khan, IANS
Patna : The floodwaters are receding but anger against the government is spilling over in Bihar with hungry and thirsty people blocking roads and attacking officials to vent their anger over the failure to provide medicines, food or even drinking water.
Over the last two days, angry flood victims in the state, where over 350 people have died and 15 million affected, have blocked the highways and assaulted government officials in various places.
In Mahua in Vaishali district, about 1,000 people, including women and children armed with sticks, damaged furniture and equipment in the block office and attacked officials for not distributing relief.
Vaishali Superintendent of Police Anupama Nilekar said the block development officer managed to escape the wrath of the people.
People complained that they had had nothing to eat or drink for the last five days. “We have been living without food and water. Hunger compelled us to protest,” Dhaneshar Mahto of Mahua village in Vaishali district said Tuesday.
Ironically, Vaishali is not on the official list of the worst flood-affected districts.
Similar scenes were seen in Muzaffarpur district where hundreds of people displaced nearly a month ago blocked roads for over five hours to protest the lack of relief.
In Sitamarhi district, flood victims led by a local legislator attacked police and administration officials after two youths drowned. They also pelted stones at the police to protest the failure of the administration to provide them boats.
The incidents have put paid to the state government’s claim that relief operations are in full swing in the flood-hit districts.
State disaster management department commissioner Manoj Srivastava claimed there was no shortage of relief materials.
Last week, too, riots had broken out in several places over lack of food grains. Angry flood victims went on a rampage in Bettiah in West Champaran district. Seventeen people, including five policemen, were injured in the incident.
Earlier, a flood victim, Bino Sharma (35), was killed and over two dozen people injured in clashes with police in Sonbarsa block in Saharsa district. Before that, a medical representative was killed in police firing in Madhubani district.
Leader of the Opposition Rabri Devi slammed the state government for its failure to provide relief.
“Thousands of flood-affected people are yet to get any food packets or water. Most are fighting for survival with virtually nothing to eat. They are sleeping under the open sky and forced to drink polluted flood water,” she said.