By TwoCircles.net news desk,
New Delhi: At the end of five-day visit of its central team headed by its national vice president Siddique Hassan and secretary Ejaz Aslam to flood affected areas in Bihar, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has demanded constitution of a high power Task Force for relief, restoration and rehabilitation works.
The JIH central team comprising its all India vice president Siddique Hassan, secretary Ejaz Aslam, president of Bihar JIH Qamrul Huda, vice president of Bihar JIH Naiyaruz Zaman, three doctors from Kerala and workers made a 5-day intensive tour of flood devastated districts of Araria and Supaul. This tour was conducted between September 7-11 by road, on foot, and at places by boats. The team visited eight camps and several marooned villages and met the affected people.
At present, JIH is running 12 relief camps accommodating about 10,000 people. They are being provided food, medical facilities, and in three camps arrangement has been made for teaching the children. Iftar and Sahri also are being provided to the people in the camps. The team of three doctors is visiting these camps and providing medical help.
After the visit, the JIH team has brought to record the following impressions and recommendations:
1. These unprecedented floods, which have clear signs of human mismanagement and dereliction of duty on the part of government and flood control agencies, has affected millions of people in the worst possible way. Millions of affected people have become foodless and jobless. They have become strangers in their own country. Need of the hour is all out efforts to help them by the government and NGOs. It may take 6 to 12 months to restore normal life in flood devastated areas. We came across several areas in which people have lost their relatives or are separated from each other by the onslaught of floods.
2. Efforts on war footing should be undertaken to find out the lost people if they are alive.
3. The identity of the people, who have lost their lives, must be determined correctly, and their dependents and relatives should be compensated immediately.
4. The cases of diarrhea in the camps are on increase. It may turn into cholera also. Better cleanliness should be provided in the camps. Further, more doctors and better medicines should be arranged.
5. Besides government relief camps, NGOs are also running many camps. To face this unprecedented calamity, these camps also should be provided with all necessary facilities. Our survey reveals that government workers have not yet reached many submerged and marooned villages. These areas are victims of apathy and neglect. NGOs are rendering good work in these places
6. Thousands of cattle have died in the floods. Their owners should be properly compensated. Compensation should be paid to all those people whose houses or huts are washed away or fully or partially damaged. Lakhs of acres of farms inundated and are under four to five feet deep water. The crops are fully lost. Comprehensive survey should be conducted and appropriate compensation paid to the owners.
7. Lakhs of farm labourers have suddenly become jobless. They should be provided food and other necessities. Free ration has to be arranged for them for some months. Besides this, some temporary employment should be provided to them. A high power Task Force should be entrusted with overall guidance, coordination, restoration and rehabilitation works.
8. Hundreds of miles of roads in several areas have been severely damaged, bridges have broken, and many areas have become inaccessible. People are not able to move from one place to another place. Immediate repair and restoration of means of communication must be undertaken. In our visit to several places, we had to move on motorcycles or on foot and even on boats in inundated areas.
9. Lakhs of people who do not want to move away from their homes are camping in makeshift huts and tents on roadsides. Food and other facilities should be provided to them also.
10. If repair and restoration of dams and embankments are delayed and heavy rain comes again, fresh floods may bring more devastation which may further complicate the already pitiable situation there. Therefore, immediate repair should be undertaken. In this regard, help from UNO and other relevant international agencies should be sought and permanent and foolproof arrangement must be made to avoid recurrence of such tragedy.