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STATES: GUJARAT
Guarded Statements
Vajpayee, on his
part, was circumspect. While defending the state Government against charges
of discrimination in disbursement of aid and irregularities in the implementation
of rehabilitation work, he pointed to the magnitude of the problem. But
just in case the Keshubhai machinery got the wrong message, he added in
chaste Hindi, "Dhilai door honi chahiye, malba uthane ke kaam mein
gati aani chahiye. Uski samay maryada rakhni chahiye." In other words,
there was no room for sluggishness. The pace of debris-removal had to
pick up and had to be time-bound.
It's not that it isn't possible. In villages
like Dudhai and Luidiya, where NGOs like Rashtriya Swabhimaan-run by BJP
leader Sahib Singh Varma-and the Gandhian organisation Maanav Sadhana
have stepped in, the rebuilding results have been dramatic. In Dudhai,
where nearly 800 houses were razed to the ground, quake-resistant homes
have been constructed for all the affected families. Not just that, the
village now boasts of a community centre, a watershed facility, and a
pleasure park-all of which were put up in just three months. Similarly
the arid Luidiya, inhabited largely by Harijans and Muslims, has undergone
a total change. As many as 265 houses have been built in the village with
the help of the locals. Also in place are a new school and a checkdam
to help the starved village conserve rain water.
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What Vajpayee Did
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Announced five-year excise holiday on goods
manufactured in Kutch
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Laid foundation stone for a medical college and hospital in Bhuj
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Announced Rs 160 cr grant for building schools
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Such villages, however, are an exception. In
most other areas, it was only the prime minister's visit that got the
ball rolling. And for people who had lost all hope, the visit proved to
be a windfall. The Congress, which had planned demonstrations and called
a bandh during Vajpayee's visit to draw his attention to the slow rehabilitation
work, evoked less than a lukewarm response. There were barely four dozen
partymen, including Congress leaders, who participated in the protests.
The sudden momentum the rebuilding measures had gained had clearly infused
new hope. Admits a senior minister in the Keshubhai Government: "The
prime minister has given a new lease of political life to the chief minister.
The rancour over poor implementation of relief work has subsided at least
for the time being."
That, however, does not mean the BJP Government
can sit back. It will have to make sure that the renewed pace of work
is kept up. For one, it will have to go back to making an approach road
to Chaperdi village which Vajpayee visited. According to an earlier plan,
the prime minister was to approach the village from Bhuj by road. But
as soon as it was decided that he would go there on a chopper, work on
the road was abandoned. What the Government needs to understand is that
rehabilitation is no showcase affair. The changes must be felt on the
ground-with or without another visit by the prime minister. Or else the
goodwill may not take long to dissipate.
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