 When
Saturday evening T.V channels brought the
news that Narendra Modi’s visit to Uttrakhand to oversee relief
operations had
kicked off a major political storm, I decided to go and check for myself
whether this was indeed a cheap publicity gimmick as alleged by the
Congress
and its minions or a serious response to a humongous tragedy. During the
course
of my study of post 2002 Gujarat, I had heard glowing accounts of how
Narendra
Modi had handled the reconstruction of towns and villages affected by
the Bhuj
earthquake. Even during the Surat floods, Modi combined efficient short
term relief with long term measures to avert such tragedies. All that
was in past tense. I wanted to see if the Disaster Management system was
still in place.
Those who disparagingly called Modi a Rambo or
a publicity hungry politician have no clue what they are dealing with. He is an
institution builder par excellence and a statesman who believes in using state
power to serve people and knows how to do it. This is proved by the fact that:
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Gujarat today has a fighting fit bureaucracy because it was enabled to
develop expertise, team spirit and deliver results under the most adverse
circumstances. It is also empowered and encouraged to take on-the-spot
decisions rather than wait to seek “permission” from “higher ups”.
- The Gujarat Disaster
Management Authority (GDMA) has become a thoroughly professional institution
capable of responding to natural or manmade disasters. It has a 24x7
monitoring system and well publicized helpline numbers well known to
Gujaratis—both in the country and abroad.
- Modi has
succeeded in conveying to the citizens of Gujarat that the Government is always
there to serve them. That is why the first response of Gujaratis anywhere in
the world is to contact the CM’s office if they are caught in a calamity. He
himself acts with lightning speed, anticipating problems and finding advance
solutions rather than be overwhelmed by them.
-
Modi’s deep personal
knowledge of every region of India and contacts with an amazing range of people
and institutions in almost every part of India, thanks to the years he spent as
a pracharak are a big asset in responding creatively to sudden challenges.
For example, Modi arrived in Delhi late 17th night
for a meeting with the Planning Commission on 18th when
news of cloudburst and landslides was telecast on TV. He held an emergency
meeting to take stock of the situation since he knew that thousands of
Gujaratis are likely to be among the Chardham pilgrims. Due to his close
personal knowledge of Uttrakhand he anticipated it had the makings of a major
tragedy. Right away, a camp office was opened at Gujarat Bhavan and the
Resident Commissioner’s team in Delhi were made responsible for coordinating
with Gujarati pilgrims.
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The relief centre set up by the Government of Gujarat in Dehradun with the help of Gayatri Pariwar |
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On 18th morning, Modi called
Dr Pranav Pandya of the All World Gayatri Parivar to provide space and
infrastructure in his Shanti Kunj campus for the relief centre proposed to be set
up by the Gujarat Government. He chose this campus because of his close
knowledge of and rapport with this Gandhian institution which can house and
feed thousands of people at short notice. It has a 2000 strong community of
dedicated swayam sevaks on the campus plus 3000 odd students of the Dev
Sanskriti University who are also infused with the seva bhav that is the
hallmark of Gayatri Pariwar. The 90 acre campus also has a well-run hospital. This
institution for social service and national reconstruction was set up by
Acharya Ram Sharma who took his inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi whose message
of service is infused in every aspect of Gayatri Pariwar.
Modi’s personal rapport with Dr Pandya
dates back to his pracharak days. Gayatri Pariwar had also joined hands with
Gujarat Government during the reconstruction work in earthquake affected
villages in Bhuj. Therefore, this was a tried and tested institution for Modi.
Even on its own it was also providing food, blankets and other necessities to
stranded pilgrims and local population through the air force helicopters.
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| P.K Parmar, Principal Secretary and Relief Commissioner at reliefcentre in Dehradun |
One phone call to Dr Pandya on the 18th and
by the same evening a set of computers with internet connection, along with
telephone lines, T.V and all other paraphernalia required for Gujarat
Government’s Relief Operation set up. Therefore, when a team of Gujarat
Government IAS, IPS and IFS officers led by Principal Secretary and Relief
Commissioner P.K Parmar came, they could get going within minutes of reaching
Shanti Kunj. Their team included two officers who hail from Uttarakhand with
close knowledge of the terrain to guide both the stranded pilgrims as well as
rescue teams on the safest possible routes to take. Assistant Director General
of Police Mr Bisht who hails from Uttarakhand went straight to Gupta Kashi from
where the rescue operations are being launched. He has trekked to Kedarnath,
Gaurikund and other places to track down trapped pilgrims. A team of seven
doctors trained in handling such emergencies, led by an orthopaedic surgeon,
not only put in place an efficient first aid service but were also attending to
those severely injured. Here again the approach was pro-active. They went to
other relief camps and railway stations to attend to non-Gujarati pilgrims as
well.
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| Fleet of buses mobilized by the Government of Gujarat to transport rescued pilgrims |
The
mandate of Team Gujarat in Uttarakhand is:
take good care of rescued pilgrims as they arrive. But once they are
recovered, send them home at the
earliest possible in the most comfortable manner. Don’t worry about
expenditure
or numbers.This is the standard approach of Gujarat government: 'Plan
for all, not a set number. Be prepared to handle as many as need the
services rather than turn away people for lack of resources.'
As
always, officers on the ground have been empowered to take on
the spot decisions, to decide how many luxury buses or taxis they need,
how many
pilgrims need to be sent by air and what kind of air craft to order. It
is not as if the rich are being sent by air and the poor by buses. The
decision is need based.
Thus when Modi landed in Dehradun, Team
Gujarat was already in control. Far from attacking the state government, he
offered all possible help to CM Bahuguna. In addition, he synergized resources,
energized BJP workers to get going, not just for immediate relief but also long
term reconstruction work. All his officers were provided phone numbers of BJP
functionaries of all 190 blocks in Uttrakhand and vice versa. As usual he
worked 20 hours a day to guide and streamline the operations. The spirited
enthusiasm of Gujarat govt staff and BJP workers had to be seen to be believed.
I saw
senior IAS officers working 24x7 alongside very junior staff in one single room
as a close knit team.
Similar help counters have been set up at the
railway stations and airports in Gujarat to help people reach their homes
safely.
Congress
Party is understandably upset because the UPA government is not only
scam ridden but also rudderless. Congress run state governments have
proved either lackluster or disastrous
as in Uttarakhand. Congress party machinery is in disarray, Congress
Sewa Dal
workers are nowhere in sight, Rahul’s Youth Brigade is clueless even in
routine
situations, leave alone know how to face a crisis like the Uttarakhand
deluge.
Phobic
responses to Modi and hate campaigns against him for doing the right
thing make the Congress Party look ridiculous in its vulnerability and
heightens its image of incompetence and venality.
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