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J.
Radhakrishnan, the collector of Nagapattinam district,
was shocked and humbled by the devastation he saw around
him. "The Nagapattinam experience," he says,
"was terrible. About 6,065 deaths were reported
here, almost 76 per cent of the total number of deaths,
apart from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The destruction
was nearly 10 times that of other districts."
Fortunately, the government rose
to the occasion, acting with remarkable efficiency and
responsiveness in spite of its limitations. It joined
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporate
affiliates such as the Tata Relief Committee (TRC) in
a concerted rehabilitation effort. Basic infrastructure,
lights, water supply, etc were restored as soon as possible.
Teams took charge of the disposal of bodies, the setting
up of relief camps, the providing of medical facilities,
etc.
The coordination between NGOs,
the private sector and the government, as also the transparent
discussions on issues, enabled Nagapattinam to get back
on track relatively quickly. Dr Radhakrishnan speaks
highly of the role TRC played in this combined initiative.
"Disasters are not statistics," he says. "They
are visibly human tragedies and there are stories behind
every death or destruction. We have to have a humane
approach. TRC helped us in the initial rescue effort,
then moved on to soft issues such as village knowledge
centres, giving basic relief and the putting up of desalination
camps.
"TRC also helped by offering
boats and technical know-how. The organisation is going
to reconstruct some 900 houses in Nagapattinam. We have
had a pleasant experience working with them for the
last three months. We are sure that they have solid
plans of a model village. They have been aiding us in
the permanent shelter resettlement policy by encouraging
quick decision making at the community level.
"TRC has chosen the toughest,
worst affected area, so the expectation from them is
high. Taking up relief at ground zero of the tsunami
is that much more challenging, but TRC has shown staying
power and has been accepted by the community. A lot
of people expressed doubts over whether a corporate
would stay back and work here. Today, people in other
places are asking TRC to work with them. That is the
sort of confidence that has been reposed in them.
"As district collector,
I would like to place on record my sincere appreciation
of the work they are doing. I have been seeing their
activities right from the time when I was a rescue man
and I find their approach to be humane, sympathetic
and with a real intention of contributing towards the
total resettlement."
Uploaded in
April 27, 2005
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