By TCN News
The Bihar Chapter of the All India Muslim Majlis-e Musahwarat, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organizations, has written a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, urging him to consider the Seemanchal floods calamity as a “national disaster” and to involve the army and national-level disaster management organizations to rebuild the shattered lives of the region urgently.
Large areas of Seemanchal: Amor, Kochdhaman, Baisi, Bahadurganj, Kishanganj, Baisa, Poth, Thakurganj, Teragachi etc., have been damaged extensively by the disastrous flood in the last ten days and claimed more than 17 lives. It has also damaged about 1.65 lakh people across 285 villages. The situation continues to be grim, as the water level has not receded below the danger mark.
Thousands of people have been forced to vacate their home and take shelter on bridges, roads and on other high lands.
Photo courtesy: Mumtaz Naiyer
“It is observed that only two steamers are engaged in the rescue operation for the entire region having a population of 10 million people. There is a gross negligence on the part of the district administration at lower to higher level. As the region is the most backward in the state, this catastrophe is going to ruin the fate of millions of people in the area. No government rescue team is effectively visible in the whole area. The NDRF team has not been able to reach the worst affected parts. It is yet to ascertain how many people are still trapped,” says the letter.
“We urge the government to declare the Seemanchal flood tragedy a “national disaster” and to “urgently assess the real damage and involve the army and national-level disaster management organisations to rebuild the shattered lives of the Seemanchal who are left to fend for themselves,” the letter added.