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Orissa storm may have claimed 20,000 lives

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

The death toll in the Orissa super cyclone devastation is likely to be around 20,000 at present, according to highly placed sources in the government.

The official figure is around 9,500. It is clear that this figure is simply too low to be credible, but it remains the official assessment from the Orissa government.

"News reports stating that the death toll is around 25,000 are on the higher side. Our estimate, considering various aspects and all cases, gives an upper estimate of 20,000. Most of the deaths did not occur when the cyclone struck Orissa (on October 29) or immediately after that, but due to lack of food, potable water and disease," the source said.

Around 8,000 villages were struck by the cyclone, and the central government recently declared that a few villages remained inaccessible to the army and other relief and rescue teams. The source admitted that the death toll might go up and agreed that the official figure was ridiculously low. A figure of 9,500 amounts to slightly more than one person per village, though of course all villages were not devastated equally!

The sources also said that by now, most of the villages had been reached but admitted that the final death toll from many of the villages was still to come in. However, independent agencies are questioning the state government's figure because the official figure for the number of dead cattle was around 250,000. If so many cattle were killed, it is impossible for the human death toll to be so much lower.

The sources said that in the central government's assessment, it was the delay in rescue and relief operations reaching all the villages in need of aid that was pushing up the death toll.

The source blamed the inefficiency of the Orissa government for the high death toll. "It may sound like politicking, but the fact is that the Orissa government has completely failed in providing rescue and relief. Funnily, even before the entire rescue and relief work is completed, with many villages still needing help, the Orissa government is now demanding funds for rehabilitation," the source said.

The source also pointed out that the demand voiced by Orissa Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang and Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the devastation be termed a "national calamity" was ludicrous. "There are two questions here. First, on what basis do you announce a national calamity? The only disaster that can be called a national calamity is famine, under the Famine Relief Code. Second, even if we announce it as a national disaster, what material difference would it make in terms of rescue and relief? Whatever the state needs is there, but it is not being utilised," the source said.

The source added that Gamang and the Congress were demanding a national calamity status for the cyclone so that he could then demand Rs 10 billion from the central government for rescue, relief and rehabilitation. "Yet, Rs 5.5 billion has already been released to the state, but most of the amount is only lying in the banks," the source stated.

The strong feeling in New Delhi is that Gamang is going slow on relief and rehabilitation with his eye on the next state assembly elections. According to the sources, the chief minister will start giving out funds to the villagers, in the name of rehabilitation so as to bypass the election code of conduct, just before the polls are due. "Gamang will give out the money and then ask the villager to vote for the Congress and the grateful villager is likely to do just that," the source said.

Another reason being speculated on is that with Gamang is worried about being ousted from his chair. The chief minister is keen to collect as much funds as possible so as to become indispensable for the elections.

Along with the money, the source added that most of the men and material sent to Orissa were unutilised to cope with what is fast turning out to be the worst disaster of the decade. For instance, the New Delhi Municipal Council, which comes directly under the Union government rather than the Delhi government, flew down 250 sweepers to help clear the carcasses and debris. The source said that most of them are working in and around Bhubaneswar rather than in the villages where the maximum damage took place.

"Because the sweepers are being given a huge compensation for every body cleared, they have on their own set out towards the nearby villages to do whatever they can. The state government did not even provide for their transport," the source said.

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