Even as the Goa government decides to give Rs 5 crore aid to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to help states like Lakshadweep, etc which have been badly hit by cyclone Ockhi, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's admission that Goa doesn't have proper disaster management mechanisms is a first positive coming out. After Goa felt the shivers of Ockhi, which was seen more as a wake-up call, Parrikar has assured to put an independent disaster management system in place by March 2018.
While crores have already been spent in the build-up to a disaster management plan, successive governments have failed in this regard despite promises over the past six years. Time will tell yet again. The government had submitted a 5-year plan in 2011 to the Centre and funds were sought from the 13th Finance Commission. There have been several proposals in this regard but none saw the light of day. There was a proposal to form two units each of the State Disaster Response Force for North and South Goa comprising of 30 personnel from the Indian Reserve Battalion, fire services and civil defence and home guards with an idea that these will be quick response teams to any disasters.
For now, the tourism department should factor in constructive suggestions from the shack owners. While the government will have to play a crucial role in the rebuilding exercise, suggestions like allowing shacks to be erected horizontally to minimise impact of the rising sea, allowing shacks on the landward side of the beach wherever possible and proposals of shacks on stilts should be discussed. Shack owners too should be equipped with relevant information of the sea, just the way our fishermen are. Full moon water swells are common occurrences and should have been factored in while setting up shacks and necessary safety measures should have been in place. On the government's side, respective collectors and their teams were quick to respond and inspect the sites to assess damage, so was Tourism Minister Babu Ajgaonkar. But when was the last time the collector or for that matter the team from the Tourism Department descended on the beaches to familiarise themselves with the ground realities?
While the shack owners pick up the pieces and start rebuilding, government should shower some Goemkarponn on the affected shack owners. Let there be no discrimination and boundary lines drawn for compensation. The tourism season is already at its peak and government should facilitate the rebuilding process and offer quick financial aid to all those affected. At a time when government is offering Rs 5 crore from the treasury to the cyclone victims of other states, it would be unjust to discriminate between tide-hit shack owners in the State. After all, charity begins at home.
While crores have already been spent in the build-up to a disaster management plan, successive governments have failed in this regard despite promises over the past six years. Time will tell yet again. The government had submitted a 5-year plan in 2011 to the Centre and funds were sought from the 13th Finance Commission. There have been several proposals in this regard but none saw the light of day. There was a proposal to form two units each of the State Disaster Response Force for North and South Goa comprising of 30 personnel from the Indian Reserve Battalion, fire services and civil defence and home guards with an idea that these will be quick response teams to any disasters.
For now, the tourism department should factor in constructive suggestions from the shack owners. While the government will have to play a crucial role in the rebuilding exercise, suggestions like allowing shacks to be erected horizontally to minimise impact of the rising sea, allowing shacks on the landward side of the beach wherever possible and proposals of shacks on stilts should be discussed. Shack owners too should be equipped with relevant information of the sea, just the way our fishermen are. Full moon water swells are common occurrences and should have been factored in while setting up shacks and necessary safety measures should have been in place. On the government's side, respective collectors and their teams were quick to respond and inspect the sites to assess damage, so was Tourism Minister Babu Ajgaonkar. But when was the last time the collector or for that matter the team from the Tourism Department descended on the beaches to familiarise themselves with the ground realities?
While the shack owners pick up the pieces and start rebuilding, government should shower some Goemkarponn on the affected shack owners. Let there be no discrimination and boundary lines drawn for compensation. The tourism season is already at its peak and government should facilitate the rebuilding process and offer quick financial aid to all those affected. At a time when government is offering Rs 5 crore from the treasury to the cyclone victims of other states, it would be unjust to discriminate between tide-hit shack owners in the State. After all, charity begins at home.
