CM sets an example

This is no joke, but still very difficult to comprehend. The unfortunate farmer whose crop was washed away in the recent floods will not get anything over Rs12,000 as compensation. Anyone receiving this level of compensation would actually be among the more fortunate lot because those who did not grow grapes or other such horticultural crops would receive half or a quarter of this.

He may not be able to even clean up the lands, now filled with slush, with the Rs800 compensation that he will receive for every acre of dry land he owns, that too subject to a ceiling of Rs4,000. Or, can you imagine anyone rebuilding a completely damaged house, a pucca house at that, with just Rs35,000?

That is the level of compensation that those ravaged by the recent deluge in northern Karnataka will receive, because the state has decided to stick to the norms of the calamity relief fund; a very archaic norm that disregards ground reality. That would mean an outgo of Rs800 crore on account of cash compensation for crop losses if you were to treat all crop that is lost in about 55 lakh acres, as crop on irrigated land, or much less probably Rs600 crore, if the assessment is based on correct classification of land.

Forget the big numbers; what do you expect a farmer, who receives about Rs4,000 as relief, to do other than commit hara-kiri. This is the stark reality of the state’s mindset and the limits to which it can go, no matter how often its leaders walk around with hats in hand to raise money for the distressed. The joke is as cruel as it can be.

None of the plans announced by the chief minister over the last few days suggests anything that is long lasting except building permanent houses for those affected. While a number of institutions have promised money specifically for this purpose, the road map the state has for this is still not clear. If loss of houses is to be compensated, then what happens to the plan to build new houses and how will the beneficiary be chosen? Will those who receive compensation become ineligible?

Many of the affected, for instance, have indicated a reluctance to move out of their current moorings, and would prefer to live there because of proximity to the land they own or work on. The government, on the other hand, wants to shift them to safer zones. But that would create for the flood victims other kinds of problems and has the potential to become an emotional issue at some point. These are issues that need a lot more than sympathy and concern.

There are many other issues that still need immediate attention. Food supply, for instance, seems to be inadequate if you go by reports from various districts. Schooling, shelter, even temporary shelter, roads, broken bridges and culverts are all crying for immediate attention. These would require more than a mere diktat that government servants should work for more hours.

This is also a wonderful opportunity for the establishment to settle an issue that has been bothersome for a long while. Many leaders from northern Karnataka have often complained of discrimination between the northern and southern parts of the state by successive regimes.

That is not true, because no regime has deliberately practised such discrimination and some, in fact, have bent backwards to accommodate the needs of the northern parts more than the rest of the state. But the perception that the north, which is relatively backward, is neglected, remains.

The kind of public response the state has received towards the plight of people in the northern districts is quite overwhelming, and should settle the issue at one level in some measure. Public contributions for relief operations have poured in so extensively, that leaders from north Karnataka can no longer complain of an emotional disconnect. What remains is providing better infrastructure and raising the human development index to acceptable levels. That is always a bit of a tall order, given the backwardness of the region for historical reasons.

The stoicism with which people in those parts have borne the brunt of the calamity is truly remarkable. Reporters who’ve travelled to the affected areas, where people waited for up to a week for some semblance of relief have brought back stories of how they are still patient and hopeful. They deserve the level of commitment the state government has so far displayed.

The chief minister seems to be singularly focused on the task on hand, and has more by his own personal example, created a sense of urgency to deal with the issue. If BS Yeddyurappa were to co-opt leaders outside the BJP in this effort and enthuse his own cabinet colleagues to be as focused as he is, the calamity in north Karnataka can be turned into an opportunity.