M A I N   N E W S

Far-off areas still cut off; bereft of aid
From Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 29 — With time running out for those still buried under the debris and rubble of concrete in the quake devastated Gujarat, the armed and para-military forces today inducted more troops to augment the relief operations already under way on a war footing.

While the armed and para-military personnel were working in tandem with the rescue teams arriving from abroad, reports reaching here said that some of the far-flung regions of Gujarat still remained cut off from rest of the world. The aid was still to reach these areas despite the best efforts of the forces. Reports said the rescue teams from abroad, who were also being assisted by squads of sniffer dogs, had managed to pull out some people from the debris even after more than 72 hours of the earthquake. However, a large number of people are suspected to be still buried under the debris. The officials were not ready to say by when the rescue operations could be completed.

As the aid continued to pour in from all parts of the world and also from different parts of the country, reports said now there was a problem of the local administration not being able to distribute the relief material which was piling up not only in Bhuj, but also in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. The local administration was not being able to distribute the relief material as fast as it was reaching Gujarat.

Sources in the Indian Air Force (IAF) said that as a result of this situation of surplus material lying unused, as many as 15 aircraft loaded with relief material were on a standby in different parts of the country, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ambala, Pune and Kanpur. There was physical limitation of storing the material which had been rushed to different parts of Gujarat.

Reports said that despite damage to the Air Force Station at Bhuj, the IAF engineers had worked round the clock to make it fully operational. The IAF and Army engineers had together also managed to restore the supply of electricity to the Bhuj region. The IAF had also increased the number of aircraft ferrying the relief material to and the injured out of the quake-hit region. By this evening, approximately 1500 tonnes of relief supplies have been sent for the earthquake victims. The number of casualties airlifted only from Bhuj had increased to more than 500.

The Army pressed into service two more regiments of engineers, which had arrived from Jaisalmer and Bathinda.

At present more than 20,000 troops have been deployed in the region to help in the rescue operations which is the largest ever to be undertaken anywhere in the world. The troops deployed in relief and rescue operations include Eight Infantry Battalions, one Artillery Regiment, one and half Regiments of Air Defence Artillery, six Engineer Regiments, six Field Ambulances, four Surgical units and additional Medical Platoons.

Two fully functional Military Hospitals are working round the clock to provide medical relief to the victims of the natural calamity.

The entire earthquake affected areas has been divided into various sub sector with senior Army Officers as sector Commanders. The overall Command and Control, is under

As far as other relief stores are concerned, 1650 tents, 4000 blankets, 2000 tarpaulins and 250 special large tents have also been made available by the Army for the earthquake victims.

INS Ganga arrived in Kandla this morning with 20 tonnes of dry provisions, blankets, other rations as also four VSat terminals with a DoT team.

A medical camp at Military Hospital Jamnagar has been set up by a Naval team. Three naval surgical teams have been employed in Chapla and Bachao while a medical team from INS Tir is operating from Kandla port trust hospital. Crisis extension ward has been established at INHS Ashvini in Mumbai to accommodate patients on evacuation from Gujarat. One Naval and two Coast Guard Dorniers are being utilised to airlift doctors, medicines and medical equipment to Bhuj and Kandla.

On the other hand, some more countries, including China, Italy and Australia, today came out in offering humanitarian aid to India. While China said it will donate $ 620,000 worth of emergency humanitarian aid material to India for the victims, Italy pledged $ 2.5 million .

Meanwhile, Australia announced a contribution of 10 lakh Australian dollars for carrying out emergency relief programmes, according to Mr Rob Laurie, Australia’s High Commissioner here.

According to a press release from the Moroccan Embassy in India, the King of Morocco has instructed the Moroccan Agency of International Cooperation to send $ 250,000 to India.

Italy has decided to send aid for the quake victims to meet primarily medical needs and drinking water supply, a press release from Italian embassy said, adding that medicines worth $ 300,000 had already been channeled through its embassy here. An Italian aircraft carrying supply of generators, tents, blankets and equipment for drinking water, is also expected to reach Bhuj within two days. This aid will be directed primarily to the town of Rapar, which is among the most severely hit by the quake.

Hungary has sent a 12-member rescue team which will be assisted by three specially trained dogs to trace possible survivors.

A reinforcement for the German rescue teams also reached Ahmedabad today. The three-member team of Rapid Deployment Unit and Search and Rescue will reinforce the already working team of 27 German specialists already engaged in Bhuj in locating and rescuing victims buried in the debris.