Author:
Publication: Organiser
Date: January 9, 2005
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=59&page=36
I have just returned from a three-day
travel to the areas in southern India which were devastated by the tsunami
on December 26. It is a disaster without dimensions; its toll is without
precedence in known human history. The entire humanity has been numbed
and humbled by the death and destruction it has wrought in over a dozen
countries in Asia and Africa. Never before has a natural calamity erased
national boundaries in so tragic a manner as we have seen in this case.
National and International Solidarity
As it always happens in an hour
of tragedy and crisis, the entire nation is now united in its resolve to
reach relief to the deserving people and to share the grief of the bereaved.
Therefore, the first point I wish to make is that the BJP extends its shoulder
to the Central Government as well as to the governments of the affected
states in doing everything necessary for relief and rehabilitation.
I also appeal for the manifestation
of the widest possible political and social solidarity, to address the
needs of relief and rehabilitation in our own country and, to the maximum
extent possible, also in other affected countries. Our countries have been
united by this tragedy. Now we should also be united by our determination
to overcome it. It is indeed heartening that India has extended generous
assistance to other tsunami-affected countries, even as we are busy harnessing
our resources to deal with the calamity domestically.
Given the sheer magnitude of the
tragedy, I feel that appropriate expression should be given to the grief
felt by the entire nation at the death of thousands of our own countrymen
and also our sisters and brothers in other countries. The Prime Minister
should soon convene an all-party meeting to seek suggestions on how best
to deal with the situation. This disaster may be declared as a calamity
of the rarest severity, so that all sections of the people can contribute
their fullest to the relief and rehabilitation effort.
Recommendations of the National
Committee on Disaster Management
Secondly, I would also like to urge
the government to take immediate steps to implement the recommendations
of the National Committee on Disaster Management (NCDM), which had been
constituted by the NDA government in February 2001 under the chairmanship
of Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee. In a conscious attempt to
reach across political barriers, the Prime Minister had appointed Shri
Sharad Pawar as the vice-chairman of NCDM, with the rank of a cabinet minister.
The committee was set up in the wake of the earthquake in Gujarat on January
26, 2001. In its report submitted last year, it has suggested necessary
institutional and legislative measures needed for an effective and long-term
strategy to deal with major natural calamities in future.
One of the measures suggested is
a proposal for raising a Specialised Disaster Response Organisation (SDRO)
and Specialised Disaster Response Units (SDRU) to augment/supplement the
resources of the states and a nodal ministry at the Centre by providing
specialised resources. I would urge the government to give serious consideration
to implementing this proposal in the wake of the tsunami-induced disaster.
In this context, I would also like to recommend to both the Centre and
the calamity-hit states the pioneering work done by the Gujarat State Disaster
Management Authority (GSDMA), which has statutory powers. Its work in rehabilitation
and reconstruction in Kutch and other parts of Gujarat has been praised
even by international agencies.
Immediate and Long-term Measures
in Tsunami-affected States
The third point I would like to
urge upon the government is the need to urgently evolve an immediate-term
and a long-term strategy to ensure safety, welfare and all-round development
of India's nearly one crore fishermen and members of their families, who
are always exposed to the dangers of nature. India has a coastline of nearly
8,000 km covering 11 states, besides the Andaman & Nicobar Islands
and the atoll island group of Lakshadweep. We also have 2.2 million square
km of exclusive economic zone. Our coastline supports almost 30 per cent
of its human population which is dependent on the rich coastal and marine
resources. It is therefore necessary to take better care of our human and
natural resources in India's coastal areas.
Of immediate significance is the
need to put in place reliable early warning communication systems in coastal
areas, with attendant facilities for protection and evacuation. The very
latest in science and technology should be pressed into service for this
purpose, drawing upon the benefits of regional and international cooperation
in disaster prevention and mitigation.
Wherever I went during the past
three days, the common plea I heard from fishermen was that they would
like their boats and nets to be repaired/replaced and their houses to be
rebuilt in a pucca manner. This need should be met urgently through the
collective efforts of governmental agencies and non-governmental organisations.
Immediate steps should be taken to prevent the spread of any epidemic.
All the outstanding loans of the people in these areas should be waived;
grants, credit and all other forms of assistance should be extended generously
for rebuilding their lives. Infrastructure in these areas must be rebuilt
on a war footing. To implement these suggestions for relief and rehabilitation
in a co-ordinated manner, I strongly urge the government to constitute
a broad-based Task Force.
Comprehensive National Coastal Insurance
Scheme for Fishermen
Simultaneously, efforts must begin
for a long-term action plan for reviving their livelihoods on a safe and
sustainable basis. In this context, the BJP demands a Comprehensive National
Coastal Insurance Scheme for the welfare of fishermen and others living
in coastal areas. The scheme should cover both life and property (such
as boats, nets, marketing infrastructure, etc.) with a bulk of the premium
amount contributed by the Central and state governments.
Initiatives taken by BJP for Relief
and Rehabilitation of Tsunami Victims
In the wake of the grim situation
created by the tsunami calamity, the Bharatiya Janata Party has risen to
the occasion with alacrity. I have spoken to all the Chief Ministers of
the BJP-ruled states to contribute their utmost to the relief and rehabilitation
efforts in the affected states. I have also asked my colleague, Shri Jaswant
Singh, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, to visit Andaman &
Nicobar Islands, where the devastation has been especially severe.
At a meeting convened in New Delhi
by former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, the party has set
up a BJP Calamity Relief Fund and appealed to the people to contribute
generously to the fund. To begin with, all the MPs, MLAs and MLCs have
been directed to contribute their one month's salary to the fund. A committee
of senior party leaders, headed by Shri Jaswant Singh and Shri Vedprakash
Goel as its convenor, has been set up to oversee the distribution of money
and material to different parts of the country. The Doctors' Cell of the
BJP has started to reach medical assistance to the people in the affected
areas. Volunteers are being mobilised in large numbers to work in relief
and rehabilitation activities.
Places visited by Shri L.K. Advani,
accompanied by Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, former president of the BJP
27th December: Chennai-Marina Beach,
Srinivasapuram, Pattinappakkam, relief camp at Mylapore, Kalapatti in Pondicherry
and aerial survey of Nagapattinam and Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu.
28th December: Thiruvanantha-puram,
Nagarcoil, Kolachel, Karunagapalli, Klappana, Ochira, Kayankulam, a relief
camp in Cochin in Kerala and aerial survey of Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari.
29th December: Pallipalem, Krishnapuram
and Mypadu in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.
