In deep waters

The flood waters that had Gujarat in their grip over the last few days are slowly receding and the enormity of the losses the state has suffered as a consequence now comes into full view. These losses, from all accounts, are massive and overwhelming, cutting across all sectors: from Surat’s diamond polishing and textile units to the numerous large industrial units dotting the Vapi-Ahmedabad stretch; from dairy farming in Anand to tobacco cultivation in Charotar.

Floods are particularly devastating because — unlike droughts — they destroy personal assets that have taken years, sometimes decades, to build. They also ravage vital infrastructure installed by the state at great cost. The present condition of the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Express highway — large chunks of which were reportedly carried away by local rivers in spate — is a reminder that recovering from the latest calamity to strike Gujarat will be neither quick, nor easy. Yet, going by the tremendous resilience the people of the state had displayed when laid low by the 2001 Republic Day earthquake, it should only be a matter of time before the state emerges triumphant from its present adversities. The Central government should play an enabling role in this process despite the fractious political divide that has sometimes surfaced in its relationship with the state. Gujarat, after all, is one of India’s most prosperous and industrially-advanced states and the country cannot afford to let it flounder in any way.

This also places a great responsibility on the present state leadership, and on Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in particular. They must not be distracted by the issues that are causing the big buzz at party headquarters in New Delhi, whether it is the RSS-BJP face-off or the national campaign on the Ayodhya attack. There is too much at stake at home. Modi and colleagues need to keep their sights on the issue at hand: the recovery of Gujarat.