In AILA country,government relief has been given political colour. In remote parts of West Bengal,where thousands of people affected by the cyclone are awaiting relief material,the government relief camps are being run by cadres of the CPI(M),Trinamool and RSP. This has led to increasing number of clashes between supporters of the parties over control of the supply chain. Caught in the middle are the hapless cyclone victims. At a camp in Rangabelia in the worst-hit Gosaba block,around 3,000 people are served one meal a day at the high school. We are in charge here. We are providing relief,repairing the embankment and helping people, said Abhijit Patra,the RSPs block youth secretary. When we are doing everything what is the need for government officials? At another camp in Rangabelia Dakshin,Trinamool supporters are running the show. Around 3,000 villagers have taken shelter in an open field. We are getting grains,pulses,potatoes from the government. But the quantity is inadequate. In the past seven days we got just 35 quintals of grains and potatoes, said local Trinamool leader Suman Mondal. I am taking extra material on credit from shopkeepers. When MP Mukul Roy and Zilla Parishad chairperson Shamima Khatoun visited us,I told them to arrange more relief materials. But that has not happened. Calculations based on figures from the BDO office show that the Government has so far distributed only about 13-24 grams of rice per person in this block. The government officials are inactive here so we had to take responsibility, said Mondol. We are also sending relief to three areas under Pakhiralaya as it is CPI(M)-controlled. We got considerable votes in these three places and so the CPI(M) is depriving our people of relief materials. In Pakhiralaya,up to 3,000 people have taken shelter on the embankment. We are trying to distribute supplies effectively but the opposition is trying to gain political mileage, said Dulal Singha,CPI(M) local committee secretary. Government officials admitted there was a problem in relief distribution. There are 99 camps in Gosaba block,all manned by workers of political parties. In all the camps they are doing the work and we are supplying them with food grains,gas cylinder and gas ovens, said BDO Amiya Bhusan Chakroborty. We are looking into the complaints. Clashes have broken out in several areas in the past few days over the right to give relief. On Tuesday,Radhanagar panchayat head Reba Mondol of the Trinamool was assaulted. Supporters alleged an RSP and CPI(M) hand. The CPI(M) said Mondol was not distributing relief materials properly and so it had to intervene. On Monday,Trinamool gram panchayat member Sabitri Sit was attacked at Chandipur while she was going to get supplies. There were also reports of clashes in Lahiripur between RSP and CPI(M).
