AIKS Press Note: Destruction due to Phailin cyclone
5th October, 2013
All India Kisan Sabha expresses concern at the destruction of life and property in the recent Phailin cyclone. The States of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have been the worst hit. We demand that it be declared an Extraordinary National Calamity and steps be taken to provide relief, reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement on a war footing. AIKS expresses relief that the loss of life was minimised by the commendable effort of the biggest ever evacuation in India.
The task now is not just of relief, reconstruction, and resettlement. The damages to livelihood are immense and efforts are required to generate confidence among people and ensure minimum livelihood security. In Odisha the cyclone affected almost 20 Districts. The cyclone mainly hit Ganjam and Puri which bore the brunt but Districts like Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Bargarh, Jharsiguda, Bolangir, Sambalpur, Kalahandi and Koraput are also severely flooded. In Andhra Pradesh the Districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagarm and parts of East Godavari have also been badly affected. Parts of East Midnapur, South and North 24 Paraganas Districts in West Bengal have been affected. Parts of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh have also been affected.
More than 5 lakh hectares of standing crops have been destroyed in Odisha alone causing a loss of over Rs.2500 crores. More than a crore people have been affected and lakhs of houses have been totally destroyed across the trail of the cyclone. The fishing community has also been badly affected with their implements, small boats and other belongings being washed away. AIKS demands that the Central Government announce a special package to compensate the losses for the peasantry, the sharecroppers, the agricultural workers and fishing community. We demand a compensation of not less than Rs.30,000 per hectare of crop lost with adequate protection of the interests of share-croppers, 3 months of agricultural wages, provision of fishing nets and other equipments to fishing community and free ration to all affected people for the next three months. Proper housing for all homeless must also be taken up in this hour of tragedy.
Infrastructure for dissemination of electricity has been completely wiped out in Ganjam and electricity has been disrupted in many other regions across the trail of the cyclone. Speedy reconstruction of such infrastructure has to be done. Drinking water is not available in most regions and the threat of water-borne epidemics also looms large. Government must provide adequate quantity of drinking water, health facilities, take up Food For Work Programme, waive all existing agricultural loans, provide crop loans for next crop at zero interest rate and provide free seeds, fertilisers and other agricultural inputs for the next crop. Central Government must take greater responsibility and assist States affected.
Companies like the POSCO along the Odisha coast which have been responsible for indiscriminate destruction of the Mangroves and lakhs of trees which acted as a buffer against cyclonic storms and minimised the damages must be made liable and forced to pay huge compensation for willful damage caused to life, crops and environment.
Kisan Sabha activists are actively involved in the relief work in the affected States. We call upon all Units to stand in solidarity and help the affected people with generous contributions.
Sd/- Amra Ram, President
Hannan Mollah, General Secretary
