India Launches Operation To Aid Cyclone-hit Bangladesh

India has launched an operation to help the victims of the cyclone-hit Bangladesh, even as the world community assured $550 million and Bangladeshis in US launched a fund collection drive.

'Operation Sahayata' would provide relief materials worth Rs.30 million (Tk 520 million or $8.6 million) to the cyclone-hit victims in Bangladesh.

The materials to be sent would include medical equipment, 20,000 packs of ready-to-eat food, 10,000 blankets, 400 tents and 2,400 kg of medicines, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) news agency reported Friday.

One of the three Il-76 aircraft carrying relief materials under the programme arrived at Zia International Airport here in the early hours Thursday, said an Indian High Commission official, adding that two more aircraft would arrive Friday and Saturday.

India will provide assistance of $22 million, including 40,000 tonnes of rice, 10,000 tonnes of wheat and 1,000 tonnes of milk powder, media reports said Friday.

Donor nations and agencies have so far pledged over $550 million in assistance for the people in south and southwestern districts hit by Cyclone Sidr as the government unveiled a three-phase rehabilitation plan.

The Food and Disaster Management Ministry has outlined both short and long term rehabilitation programmes for the cyclone-hit areas, which include repair of damaged roads and houses as well as saving the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, ministry sources said.

Meanwhile, a disaster management expert Thursday asked the Bangladeshi government to repair roads in the affected region as first priority for easy transportation of relief materials to remote areas.

'I think there is no crisis of relief materials as people from home and abroad have responded positively to help the affected people,' Gawher Nayeem Wahra, convener of Bangladesh Disaster Forum, was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

Despite the massive rehabilitation and relief programmes of the government, various quarters have raised questions about the management of relief distribution, as many of the affected people are yet to receive emergency aid.

Wahra said transportation of relief materials to remote areas has become a major challenge. Most of the roads have been damaged in the cyclone, while damage to jetties also affected the communication system.

'The government can engage army personnel in repairing the roads and jetties immediately,' he said.

He, however, pointed out that the aid workers are facing acute problems in reaching destitute people in remote areas.

A coordination meeting of secretaries of different ministries at the cabinet division discussed requirement of foreign assistance to meet the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr.

They were informed that the World Bank assured an assistance of $250 million and the Asian Development Bank pledged $100 million for the affected people.

'Of the $250 million World Bank assistance, $75 million will be provided as budgetary support,' said a top government official.

The government has identified Barguna, Patuakhali, Bagerhat and Pirojpur as the worst affected districts and eight other districts - Barisal, Jhalakathi, Bhola, Madaripur, Gopalganj, Shariatpur, Khulna and Satkhira - as badly affected.

The government will run a Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme from December to March in 12 districts. Every VGF cardholder will get 15 kg of rice per month free.

A total of 25,90,000 cards will be distributed in the districts, officials said.

According to the Food and Disaster Management Ministry data Thursday night, 6.5 million people have been badly affected by Cyclone Sidr. Crops on 461,392 acres of land have been damaged completely and on 1,225,304 acres partially.

The cyclone has destroyed at least 363,346 houses completely and 815,628 houses partially.

The Bangladesh Embassy in the US and the Bangladeshi community residing there are jointly raising funds for the cyclone-affected people.