So when you hear news of political leaders decamping from
one party to another and there are many allegation and counter allegations, elections
are just around the corner. And when it comes to the general elections in
India, the mammoth proportions are so dominating; it outshines all other things
of consequence.
May be that’s the reason why we don’t see and know of what
is happening to overcome possibly the biggest agricultural disaster in recent
times.
The hail-storm that devastated the farmers across the
regions of Maharashtra, M P, and Karnataka is one of a kind. It is reported
that the elders in the farming communities are terming this as the biggest
disaster in last 100 years!
It started on Feb. 28 and till now there are reports of snowfall
and hail-storm. The ice balls were as big size as apples. The conservative
estimates of the material losses are to the tunes of Rs. 12000 crores, in
Maharashtra alone.
Rabi crops of wheat, sorghum, and fruits – all are
destroyed. Approximately 1000 parrots were killed, countless cows & buffaloes wounded in this natural fury. For farmers, this is sort of double blow – last year
it was drought and now this thunderstorm.
On the relief & rescue front, god knows when will we
have some real, fast, and tangible improvement?
The state bureaucracy is so ‘efficient’ – now the media
found out and reported that the drought relief package of last year, has not
reached to the actual beneficiary – the farmer, till now!
And now there is model code of conduct in place for the
elections. So the ‘panchnama’ and survey of the loss cannot be carried out,
because the ‘officers’ are busy on election duty. There is shortage of
manpower. Unless that is done, the ‘magnitude’ cannot be assessed and ‘ascertained’!
And the relief and rescue operations will languish further.
Why can’t we make an exception to the model code of conduct?
Why can’t we declare this as a national calamity? There is provision of IAS
officers distributing the monetary help in the time-span of model code of
conduct. Will the politicians ‘let go’ of this opportunity of ‘helping’ the
farmers?
Why can’t we have some mechanism based on scientific climatic studies
to give warnings? (This hail-storm
started from Feb.28 and went on & on till 15-17 March covering different
geographical regions. If there was some mechanism, it would have helped farmers
in the later parts.) Why can’t all the powerful religious trusts open their
money bags a little? (There are a few so rich, that they give ‘loan’ to governments.)
Why there was not outpouring of real help like in the case of earthquakes,
tsunami, and other such disasters?
Has our
society become so insensitive & ignorant, because it is related to farmers?
So many questions. No real answers. And almost all the
attention & efforts are on who is secular and who is communal. And who will be PM? I mean
that is obviously important but what happened deserves more attention and actions!
Postscript: 37 farmers have committed suicide in last two
weeks in Maharashtra.
