Flood Relief Motorboats Capsize
By Jan Brzezinski

Two motorboats carrying rice for flood victims collided and capsized, sending 87 quintals of rice to the bottom. The accident took place at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Jalangi rivers at Nabadwip. The rice had been sent from district headquarters in Krishnagar for flood victims in Swarup Ganj. The head-on collision took place at night.

The attempt to use the rivers to transport goods in the wake of other disruptions has not been very successful. There are just not enough motorboats. Panchayat workers are coming to Krishnanagar in search of aid, but without much success. Biman Chakraborty of Tehatta stood on the Kadamtola Ghat in Krishnagar and said, "I have been waiting here for three days and finally on Thursday at noon, I got 10 tons of rice. There are 14,000 people in my village who have not eaten in ten days. Will I be able to give everyone something to eat with this amount of food? I don't think so."

There are great difficulties in distribution of the little relief food that is obtained. This has resulted in several cases of violence, looting and civil disobedience. Yesterday, the BDO and Panchayat offices in Krishnagar were vandalized by hungry flood victims.

Water levels are dropping, but it is still waist-deep in Nabadwip town.

© CHAKRA 7-October-2000

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