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A heap of water bottles lying outside the Inter-college, which has been turned into the relief camp, gives one the impression that people here must be drinking a lot of bottled water. A closer look reveals that most of the bottles have not even been opened.
The Guptkashi relief camp is a live example of all that is wrong with the flood relief work in Uttarakhand – Lack of coordination, thoughtless allocation and a non-existent distribution mechanism.
As the place is largely run by government clerks from sundry departments and teachers, who have little expertise in logistics, a lot of forms gets filled, entries are made in registers, but hundreds go hungry even as relief materials lie rotting in the rain.
It is not just the water bottles: bundles of clothes including blankets, packed food, rusks have filled the classrooms of the inter-college. As there is no space, Surendra Singh Rawat, a government official who works at the camp himself.
“Ration, vegetables and other materials keep coming in. There is hardly any space to keep them. And, there is no way to take these to places where they need them.”
Several villages in Kalimath and Ukhimath, the two mountains that lie on the other side of the river have been badly affected by the floods.
At least a hundred people from these villages who were working in Kedarnath and hotels enroute on the day of disaster have died. Floods have washed away the bridges connecting these villages.
“There has not been a single casualty in Guptkashi town. But it is people from here who are collecting the relief materials whereas the real needy ones suffer silently,” said Ganesh Saumhyal, a central government official, who is not part of the camp.
Jai singh, an elderly local from Kunjetti village has come to collect relief at the camp. “I have come here after a lot of difficulties.
There is no road, not even foot path. Haat se Raastha kaat ke aye.”
Nine people have died in Kunjetti, he said.
Some ladies from Nala village nearby have come to collect relief.
“Bun, biskoot ko hum kya karein saab. Thoda aata, chawal mile toh kaam aayega,” one of them said.
Shriom Arjav of Delhi-based Yamuna Mukthi Abhiyaan alleges large scale mismanagement at the camp.
“The staff here take away all the real stuff away and give the poor people biscuit packets and other packed food. I have worked in a logistics company. I offered to help. But nobody listens.”
Rameshwar, the Grampradhan of Pehli pasalat village who had come to collect relief materials said.
“My village is 7 km away. It’s been two weeks we have got nothing. We have lost six people in Kedarnath. Gaai, bhais ko toh koi ginthi nahi.”
When asked about allegations that even some grampradhans are guilty of cornering relief materials or of partiality in allocation. “You can come with me and see for yourself. Gareebi log ko apne paise milna chahiye.”
Harak Singh Rawat, Additional district magistrate from Dehradun, who is in charge of the relief camp, said he is doing his best given the circumstances.
“There is no local staff here. We are managing with some people who have come from elsewhere. While people blame about relief materials not reaching. Nobody has a viable solution how to take these away.”
Rawat said he has now directed relief vehicles coming from outside to be redirected directly from Nagjagai, about 10 km from here.
“Let them go till the road. Then we will see. Here there is no space left. We are also trying to arrange some horses and mules to carry the relief.”
