Nagpur: As the Winter Session of State Legislature commenced in Nagpur on December 7, the September 23 flood-affected Nagpurians are hoping against hope for big relief in the form of substantial compensation. But the moot question is: Will the deaf and mute State Government announce compensation for damage of household materials & structures during the ongoing Winter Session? Will the State Government, seemingly unresponsive thus far, come forward and extend help to distressed citizens during this crucial Session? Or Nagpurians will only witness yet another traffic jam session in Maharashtra’s Second Capital?
Notably, the wee hours of September 23 wreaked havoc as many parts of Nagpur were submerged by flood water following a very heavy rain. Due to flooding in the Nag River, water-logging took place in residential areas of both sides of the river. Thousands of residents got affected due to the flooding but the administration failed to address the issues and pay compensation even after days of the disaster.
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Wed 18 Dec. 2024
The events of September 23 unleashed havoc as torrential rains submerged various parts of Nagpur, leading to widespread flooding. The Nag River overflowed, causing water-logging in residential areas on both sides. Despite thousands of residents being affected by the calamity, the administration’s response fell short, leaving compensation and essential aid pending even after days had passed since the disaster.
The Winter Session presents a critical juncture for the flood victims, holding hope for decisive action and concrete measures to assist those grappling with the aftermath. The pressing need for immediate relief and the persistent delay in addressing this matter remain at the forefront of Nagpurians’ concerns as the legislature convenes in Maharashtra’s second capital.
Man-made disaster:
According to experts, the September 23 deluge in Nagpur was man-made. The administration is wrongly terming it a consequence of a natural calamity. Nagpur has no master plan for the drainage system. Illegal commercial exploitation of public land caused the floods, said the experts citing examples of the memorial at Ambazari Lake overflow point, Krazy Castle and skating rink.
The experts further said that if administration had declared the flash flood man-made, officials would have to be held responsible, followed by inquiry and changing the compensation structure. Lack of proper drainage plan, encroachments in low-lying areas are the main causes. Catchment of Sonegaon Lake and Pandhrabodi Lake have been encroached.
NMC engineers cannot even design a culvert. A project management consultant is appointed for every petty work. Stressing the need to map city’s low-lying areas, floodplains, lakes, ponds, chronic flood spots etc, the experts demanded that no go zones be declared to prevent such man-made calamity in future.
Peanuts as aid:
In what could be termed as mockery, the Revenue and Forest Department of State Government has released a paltry sum of Rs 8.38 crore for construction of bridges and roads as well as damage to households caused by the Ambazari floods of September 2023. What’s more interesting is that the word ‘Ambazari’ is missing in the Government Resolution (GR).
There is mention of ‘aid for damage to property and basic infrastructure caused due to excessive rainfall and flood in Nagpur city in September 2023’. The local media had run a series of reports highlighting the woes of Nagpurians affected due to Ambazari floods, and all the affected persons had dubbed the promised aid of Rs 10,000 as ‘inadequate’. Media had also raised the issue of the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund that had provision for a small amount, and had urged the State Government to intervene and provide additional and adequate aid to the affected persons.
Now, though the Government has released the aid of Rs 8.38 crore for the affected areas in Nagpur, the actual aid that has been allocated as ‘financial aid for damaged households’ is only Rs 85.44 lakh! The aid has been released as per the State Disaster Response Fund norms. Since the Winter Session is being held in Nagpur, the Opposition parties are likely to raise the issue of paltry aid of Rs 10,000 being offered to the households affected due to floods in Ambazari Lake in September 2023.
The release of funds in this regard appears to be an attempt of the Mahayuti Government to dilute the Opposition attack. There is no explanation whether this amount would be distributed in accordance with the Rs 10,000 norm in only 854.4 cases. There is a cryptic mention of ‘136’ under the head of ‘scope of work’. If one takes this number to be the number of households affected due to Ambazari floods, it may leave many others peeved. Going by‘136’, if the aid of Rs 85.44 lakh is divided equally, it comes to Rs 62,823.53. Of the total amount of Rs 8,38,54,000 released, the maximum Rs 6 crore is allocated for reconstruction of damaged bridges.
A simple calculation brings out that an amount of around Rs 1 lakh has been earmarked for repair of a kilometre of road stretch on an average. The total amount released to provide relief to Nagpur, also comprises a small sum of Rs 1.72 lakh allocated for clearing debris from drainage system and lifting garbage/waste that got deposited in public places during the flood.
It is not known whether a report on the disaster is submitted to the State Government by the concerned authorities.
