INDIA NEWS

HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA, LONDON

PRESS RELEASE JANUARY 31, 2001

GUJARAT EARTHQUAKE RELIEF UPDATE

Further Augmentation of Relief Work

• Medical supplies: 700 kgs from Central Govt., 750 kgs from State Government and 8475 kgs +1 ambulance from private sector.

• 16 debris clearing equipment, 3 recovery vehicles, 15 earthmovers and 17 MT of rescue equipment already provided.

• 444 people have been evacuated.

• 407 trucks, 280 Buses, 174 tankers, 246 jeeps & 93 earth moving equipment/JCB/cranes deployed at Bhuj.

• Water supply is being maintained through water tanker and Power supply & Tele-communication partly restored in Bhuj.

• Rail services restored upto Bhuj.

• Government agencies such as Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Women and Child Development and lead NGOs are being involved and activated for getting the relief and rehabilitation work to their target areas.

• Kandla Port will be functional for handling dry cargo by tomorrow. Jetties for oil handling are likely to be functional within a weeks time after thorough checking of pipelines.

• The ‘Empowered Group of Ministers’ (GoM), headed by Union Home Minister Mr. L. K. Advani and comprising of Union Ministers for Defence, Finance, Agriculture, Railway, Information and Broadcasting, Power, Communications and Food & Consumer Affairs, Health and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, beside senior Government officials and seismological experts met in Delhi on 30 January. The Group is empowered to decide on all actions necessary to provide relief to the quake victims, consider the reports of the crisis management group (CMG) of officials and give appropriate directives, besides considering relief, rehabilitation and restoration of infrastructure. The Home Minister said that at least 630 villages of the Kutch region and 1,000 more in other parts of Gujarat had been affected.

• Media were told after the meeting that about 25,000 Army and paramilitary personnel were deployed in different parts of Gujarat to carry out rescue and relief on a war-footing and CRPF deployed for maintaining law and order.

• As per its terms of reference, the GoM is to consider long-term institutional and organisational measures necessary for management and mitigation of such natural calamities. The next meeting of GoM will be held on February 2.

• A meting of all political parties represented in the Parliament has been called on February 3 for inviting their suggestions.

• Pointing out that the assistance coming from foreign countries was in the form of loans, which need to be repaid, the Prime Minister said in Lucknow, "the people should be ready" for additional measures.

• The Gujarat Government have sought Rs 13,500-crore (approx. US$ 3 billion) aid package from the Centre for dealing with the losses arising out of destruction of property in Friday's quake. The state requires Rs 1,000 crore (approx. US$250 million) as immediate relief for temporary shelters, financial assistance and cash doles, medical assistance, food, water, preventive and health measures. Rs. 10,000 crore (approx. US$ 2.25billion) will be required for long-term requirements such as reconstruction of public property and utility, assistance for reconstruction of private properties and for restoration of livelihood of the quake-affected people. Another Rs 2,500 crore (approx. US$ 625 million) would be needed for the implementation of a comprehensive master plan for disaster management of Kutch against future earthquakes, drought or cyclone.

• The Asian Development Bank said on January 30, US$350 million, to be reallocated, from existing loans would be made available immediately for rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the wake of the Gujarat earthquake.

• A senior ADB official said in Manila that the Bank considered this solely as an immediate measure and more loans, in the region of an additional $500 million, could follow.

• Leading corporate houses in India have come out with financial and material help for relief and rehabilitation work in Gujarat. They include Reliance Industries (Rs 15 crore, or approx. US$ 3.5 million) for reconstruction, Rs 5 crore, or approx. US$ 1.2 million) directly to the PM's Relief Fund, direct relief work and adoption of some disaster affected areas), Oil India Ltd and ONGC (Rs 7.5 crore, or approx. US$ 1.75 million each to the PM’s Relief Fund apart from providing equipment and material for relief operations), VSNL (Rs. 10 crore, or approx. US$ 2.4 million) and MTNL (Rs. 12 crore, or US$ 3 million approx.) to PM’s Relief Fund, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, (allowing people to make free STD calls in affected areas), telecom companies in private sector (providing mobile phones in affected areas and trying to match the donation efforts of their public sector counterparts), Larsen and Toubro and Jai Prakash Industries (adopting villages for reconstruction), Alembic Ltd (20 truckloads of medicine and medical equipment apart from a fully equipped medical van) etc. Local chapters of FICCI and CII are contributing also by mobilising relief supplies and their distribution. CII is sending a team of civil engineers who would certify the buildings, which have developed cracks, are fit to live or not.

• International assistance continues to pour in from all corners of the world. In his telephone conversation with PM on 30 January, US President George W. Bush condoled the massive destruction of life and property in Gujarat earthquake and offered to provide relief and assistance in addition to the $5 million already promised.

• Senior EU official Chris Patten, on a visit to India said that at least two member-nations have pledged 2 million Euros.

• Another plane carrying relief supplies arrived from Pakistan.

• The Central Government will make available Rs 100 crore (Rs. 1 billion or approx. US$22.5 million) to the Gujarat government for restoring normal power supply in the worst quake-hit district of Kutch, where the losses to the transmission and distribution of power system are estimated at four times this amount. 90% of this amount will be in grant and 10% in loan.

• Power supply to the worst hit Anjar town partially restored today following the repair of the 150 km long 220 kva Anjar-Pandhro line. This will help in speeding up further relief work.

• British Government announced £10 million worth of assistance for disaster relief.

• A DFID coordinated 69-member search and rescue team equipped with specialized instruments, left for India on 27 January. At least one more private rescue team, comprising of 9 members and a dog.

• Four more aircrafts carrying emergency relief supplies tents and shelter items, plastic sheets and trauma equipment, arranged with active participation of British Red Cross, have reached India.

• There has been a touching response from the people in the UK, both of Indian origin and British. The High Commission has been deluged with offers of financial and material donations and is facilitating these efforts by making the information on most required items available to organizations and interested individuals. Financial contributions received in their hundreds are being forwarded to Indian authorities.

• Several large and small charity and social organizations have already collected thousands of Pounds and aim at collecting upto a million or more.

• Relief items so far mobilized by the people of Indian origin in the UK, both on individual and collective scales, include water purifiers (1200 units), small and emergency boxes to house people (350), emergency medicines (several truck loads) and other relief supplies, such as tents, clothes, etc.

• Air India London is carrying the relief supplies freight free. Several tons of such supplies are on their way. It has also provided free space for the private rescue team.

• Offer from University of Cambridge to carry out a study through Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team of damaged structures in the affected area has been received.

DONATING FOR EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

In addition to Prime Minster’s Relief Fund, information about which is contained in the High Commission’s Press Release of 30 January, donations can also be made to :-

Cheques/ drafts for the above donations maybe sent directly to respective addresses or to the High Commission of India, India House, Aldwych, London WC2B 4NA for onward transmission.

With a view to streamlining and facilitating mobilisation for relief and rehabilitation abroad, the following items are identified as priority in immediate and short terms. {These requirements are for one temporary colony for 1000 families (5000 people) in the affected areas. A total of 100 such colony-camps are required.}

(1) Tents
(2) Tarpaulin Pandals for 20,000 sq. yards
(3) Tarpaulin flooring for the ground for 20,000 sq.yards

Items required for drinking water and food

Water purifying tablets/ units

10 Kilowatt Generator Set. No. 1 and 1 small Generator Set of 1.5 KW.

Emergency Medicines & Medical items required

(1) Various kinds of Antibiotic and Emergency Drugs
(2) Crutches for lower limb
(3) Portable X-ray Machines
(4) Rehabilitation Sets (Physiotherapy)
(5) Portable Sonography
(6) Movable Operation Theatre with moveable Shadowless Lamps
(7) Gensets
(8) Orthopedic implants related to fractures
(9) Pop Bandages
(10) Auto claves
(11) Disposable sets Caps, Gowns, Masks

(1) Mobile SAT phone facility

EXTERNAL AID COORDINATION CELL
set up at N.R.G. Bhavan, Ahmedabad

Government of Gujarat have set up an External Aid Coordination Cell at the NRG Bhavan, Ahmedabad to coordinate and monitor the external aid. The Cell is headed by Shri S.K. Shelat, ex-Chief Secretary and Adviser to Honoroubale Chief Minister, Gujarat State. There are other senior officials in this Cell, including Dr. Kirit Shelat, IAS, Industries Commissioner and Shri A.J. Shukla, IAS, Managing Director, Industrial Extension Bureau (iNDEXTb).

If the aid is in the form of cash or cheque, the same may be sent in the name of Chief Minister's Relief Fund, Revenue Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Contact person for this purpose is Shri S.N. Dave, Joint Secretary, Revenue Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar. His phone numbers are : 91-02712 51911 to 51917 (Office) 91-02712 26833 (Residence), 91 98250 37408 (mobile).

If the aid is in the form of kind (such as medicines, eatables, etc.), the same may be sent by Air. This would be received at the Domestic Terminal of the Ahmedabad Airport where a Cell headed by Shri M.S. Dagur, IAS who is attending to this work, has been set up. The contact numbers of this Cell are 91-079 2869261, 91-079 286 7269.

If the aid in kind is being sent through any other mode, except by Air, the same may be sent to Shri G.C. Murmu, IAS, Additional Commissioner of Relief, Revenue Department, Sachivalaya, Gandhinagar. His contact numbers are 91-02712 51911 to 51917 (Office) and Mobile No. 91 98250 37427.