Stand up again
When on the islands do not think Land. Think Water. The Tsunami has wreaked havoc. The government is drowned up to its neck in relief work. No, they call it rehabilitation. On one island sit 150 metric tonnes of mostly perishable goods, milk packets and food, waiting for someone, anyone. There is no one to pick them up, 8,000 odd people on this island apart. For the islanders, the Nicobarese and the Shompen (the two tribes on the Nicobar islands), this is dole. Bait to make them dependent on the government. They watch the mainlanders on the islands relish the dole.Some fall prey to the idea of being spoon-fed. They are made to wait at camps built in cities like Port Blair. They sit around, 3,238 on the last official count in 15 relief camps of Campbell Bay, the township on the Great Nicobar Island.
While people wait, the different arms of the administration and government get enmeshed in silly games of one-upmanship. The civil administration is livid. The army uses its maps and information to make better presentations (slick and aggressive like a battle plan) and wins praise. After all it's a game worth Rs 2,731 crore
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