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'If help had been mobilised a bit faster, more lives would have been savedBombay, January 31, 2001, 9:00 pm IST: Ms Sheela Bhatt, executive editor, Gujarati edition, rediff.com, has just returned from a tour of duty in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad and Bhuj. She shared her experience in the Chat.
Administrator : The Sheela Bhatt Chat will commence shortly. rama : U were one of the early journalists in Bhuj. What was the situation there? Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : It goes without saying that the situation is traumatic. People are tasting the power of nature, and suddenly finding the future dark. Very few of the people I met are able to even articulate their pain, they are zapped, speechless and in fear. The fear is such that they are asking more about earthquake than their lost property or dead relatives. Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : Hello everyone, I am here to take your questions on the tragedy that has struck Gujarat. rama : Were u satisfied with the initial realief and rescue efforts? Have things become more organised now? Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : No, not at all. But I would not rush to blame the government or local leaders. We have to take this tragedy as a human tragedy caused by nature. On the very first day, things hardly moved and the trauma had gripped the entire state. This is a national calamity of a national magnitude; it is a very, very heavy price that we are paying for ignoring seismological science and we were very careless in planning our towns. I don't think things have become more organised now. Mr Pavitra Narayan Roy Chowdhary, a very senior IAS officer in Gujarat, is posted in Anjaar; he is looking after the relief efforts. When he got some 200 trucks of aid materials, his reaction was that this would meet only 1/20 of his requirements. The foreign experts are doing a good job, but these are insufficient given the magnitude of the devastation. I visited Bhuj, Gandhidham, Bachau, Anjaar and Rapar. The first feeling in
seeing these areas is that civilisation as we understand has simply been wiped
out. Nawwu : How can we be sure that , whatever we are donating is reaching the needy and not going in to the pockets of politicians? Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : It depends on who you donate to! If you ask me, I would say, at this point of time, people need tents, STD call booths (there was a queue of 200 outside the Mundra telephone exchange in Bhuj), quilts/blankets, and an army of structural engineers who can help them save their broken dwellings, if at all the last can be saved. Ravi : Are we organised enough now to take in the relief and help coming from all parts of the world Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : No way! I am not hopeful about the relief work and well organised rehabilitation plans for the simple reason that Gujarat had a deadly cyclone in Kandla/Kutch in 1998. Till date, the people who lost their homes have not been rehabilitated. Kandla had 2500 victims rendered homeless; if they have not been taken care, what can we expect for the earthquake victimes whose numbers are frightening! Administrator : Everyone, Ms Sheela Bhatt is keying in her answers, but since they are a bit long, they do take some time to appear. Please bear with her. Vishal : Is it true that we had found Black Lava at Bhuj ??? Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : I tried to get an official confirmation, but failed to elicit a reply. However, many local journalists told me that in the Bunni area of Kutch, hot water springs have come up, and at some places, bore wells water has become salty. rockbohra : tell me how to prevent my life from earthquake i am speaking from ahemedabad gandhinagar Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : rediff.com has an extensive earthquake ready reckoner. Please read it since it answers all your questions. Check it out! ISMAIL : Please let me know if the RSS and VHP are helping people on communal lines in Gujrat?..why in the world they dont grow up? Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : I am sorry to say that the tragedy of Kutch will expose communal, casteist, religious, and subcasteist divide of our society. One of the BJP leaders complained to me that an MLA of his party sent two trucks of aid material in a Muslim dominated area. Another government officer complained that Jains funeral grounds are not accepting non-Jain dead bodies in Bhuj. I came across many such cases which pains me. Administrator : 'rockbohra' has been frozen out rayinisrinu : madam ji whats the total number of people dead till today can u explain.... Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : George Fernandes has claimed 100,000 dead, while the chief of the Red Cross is putting the figure at 50,000. I would not dare to quote any figure, but I would say that in Bhuj, Rapar, and Bachau, the old city areas are completely destroyed and the debris clearance will take at least one month. So a more authentic figure will be available only after a fortnight when more bodies are available. I think you will agree with me that all these figures are guess work. titu : can it be assumed that,a warning before the quake could have been reduced the casualties Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : Of course it would have had some impact, but we are so casual in our approach to serious things in life, that I doubt it would have helped. I strongly feel that after the tragedy, that if the government -- centre and state -- and private groups could have mobilised a little faster, and only focussed on the debris clearance, huge numbers would have been saved. I am saying this on the basis of my talks with the survivors. For almost two and a half days, relatives were able to sighs and sounds of people trapped under the debris. Go to any camps, and talk to relatives, they will talk about this. Ashok : Anjar is sealed by Army ?Have you passed via Gandhidham and Adipur - what is the distribution network and valid communication link ?Rgds Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : There are mixed reports. rediff.com's correspondent spoke to us from Anjaar just a couple of hours ago, and he informed us that Anjaar has not been sealed and the Army people have suspended rescue operations till morning. The distribution network is erratic. The biggest problem is communication. If
you want to send any help to Kutch, I would say send satellite phones to Bhuj,
Bachau and Anjaar so that people's trauma can be relieved if they talk to their
relatives. ajitbhai : Sheelaben, by how many years, do you think, Gujarat has been pushed back? Can we see the Gujarat of 25 January in, say 4/5 years? Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : We journalists don't think in such terms. Politics plays its role everywhere. One must understand that Kutch's political weightage in Gandhinagar is not much, and after six months or so, Gandhinagar will have to be reminded about rehabilitation and related work. I will be happy if I am proved wrong, but... Mahesh : What is the role of NGOs in absence of proper direction from Govt. Are they busy with Minidsters/Dignitaries visit Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : Here, one has to be sceptical. I saw so many NGO putting up their banners first. In just 24 hours, they had the best painted "Earthquake Relief" banners and posters ready, and I even see some kind of "aid" overdrive: all this is very harmful. Some individuals, instead of being humble in their relief service, are arrogant to the victims. The victim becomes just a commodity or product for the NGO. However, some NGO are doing good work. All of us must remember that there is going to be a flood of help and relief work. So it is very necessary to be alert to whom you are donating and in which project. The best help is to find out individuals and help them without any brouhaha. bhupeshjt : Sheela, how are people reacting to the aftershocks Ms Sheela Bhatt on Gujarat : This will be my last answer. What is traumatising the survivors the most is their inability to do the final rites for the their dear departed. As some of the them told me, where usually one death would have a throng of visitors, here so many people have died, and there are just about 4-5 people to do the final rites. Moreover,there is no one to carry the dead body or to even wait for the body to burn and collect the ashes to immerse in Hardwar or Prayag. In India death rites are as important as life.
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