8 May 2002

CLOSURE OF GUJARAT'S RELIEF CAMPS: FALSE ALARM

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: The controversy of the Gujarat Government ordering closure of relief camps as raked up by CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee and picked up by the entire Opposition in the Lok Sabha to go to the extent of a walk-out turns out to be a false alarm based on an old Gujarat Revenue Department's circular of March 6.

Somnathbabu had insisted that the collectors have been asked to order closure of the relief camps by May 30, 2002. The date he mentioned does figure in the circular but the context is different and no order has been issued in the recent past to force closure of the relief camps.

The circular, which is in Gujarati, was issued a week after the communal carnage rocked Gujarat specifically "With regard to providing assistance to the camps being run by the voluntary organisations after communal violence" (Kaumi Ramkhano: Svechchhik Sansthao dhwara chalvta kempne sahay puri padva ange).

It lays down the conditions which the organisers of the camps should satisfy for getting relief from the State Government in terms of free ration and Rs 5 per person per day. A copy of the Gujarati circular with its translation in English and Hindi ''giving the permission to relief camps to operate till May 31, 2002 only'' was released by pro-CPI(M) organisation SAHMAT on Wednesday.

The controversy was raked up on the basis of a paragraph that says that "District Collectors should register camps only if satisfied that these conditions are fulfilled and accord sanction maximum up to May 31, 2002" (Jilla collectorshrine santosh thay ke sansthao dhwara upar mujabnee sharto santoshvama ave chhe, to aa camp ne nondhani karshe and vadhuma vadhu taa. 31/5/2002 sudhi manjuree aapshe."

Since Somnath Chatterjee has avoided mentioning date of the order or circular which mandates closure of the relief camps, Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani could not guess which circular he was talking about but all the same he had asserted in the Lok Sabha that he had "no information that camps are being closed." END