Civil society members find Delhi Govt wanting in riot relief work; urge it to do its job

March 4, 2020

New Delhi: Expressing dissatisfaction with relief work done by the Delhi Government in the riot-hit north-eastern parts of the capital, a large number of intellectuals, activists, artistes and other members of the civil society on Wednesday urged it to do the job for which it was elected by them.

”We call on the Delhi government to do what we so recently elected them to do. To fulfill their promise of serving the people – especially those who are today living in fear and need in their own city,” said a statement from the citizens issued under the auspices of the Indian Cultural Forum.

The Delhi government has promised compensation and assistance with papers, but this does not offer immediate and basic support to alleviate the suffering of the people. In addition to basics such as food, shelter and medical attention, people in Northeast Delhi also require emotional, financial and legal support, they said.

They demanded the Government provide legal assistance posts with trained lawyers, supported by law students equipped to file urgent missing person reports, as well as individual FIRs for each episode of violence.

Besides, it should help in replacement of documents destroyed, such as Aadhar cards, voters’ cards or ration cards, other official documents without cost.

The victims were in urgent need of food, shelter, clothes, medicine, which were being provided by some NGOs and individuals,” but where is the Delhi government? ”, they said .

It is the civic duty of the government to provide the large-scale relief that people desperately need – and which cannot be replicated by the voluntary efforts of civil society groups. These include proper relief camps rather than ill equipped shelter homes for a large number of people, able to provide food, clean water, sanitation, clothes, a 24-hour well-serviced health outpost, and safe private spaces for women and children, kits, standardized by humanitarian agencies, that include sets of clothes and underwear, toiletries, sanitary napkins, milk powder and other necessary items, the statement said.

About 80 people who signed the statement include Amitav Ghosh, Romila Thapar, Anand Patwardhan, Harsh Mander, Aruna Roy, Ashok Vajpayi, Mallika Sarabhai, Badri Raina Githa Hariharan, K Satchidanandan, Jayati Ghosh, Zoya Hasan, Pranjoy Guha Thakurta, Mallika Sarabhai, Shafey Kidwai, Ram Ramaswamy and D Raghunanadan.

–India News Stream