Odisha Triple Train Crash Reminds Of The Politics of Disasters

It is a dirty culture, seen mostly in India, where VIPs visit the places of disasters. These visits cause more inconvenience than help, people who could be utilized for rescue operation get diverted to handling of these VIPs visits. They only add to our woes of the victims, impairing and putting a stop to all efforts during their brief flying visits. The choppers that landed in the quickly prepared helipads could have been more appropriately used for ferrying the injured to nearly hospitals.

Is there anybody to tell the VIPs, particularly the politicians, to keep off the disaster sites?  The Police and security personnel are sent into a tizzy, appropriate bandobast has to be made for these visiting VIP’s.  “Taking stock of the situation”  is the catch word. One wonders what stock taking is done.

These visits seriously hamper the relief and rescue operations,  as officials join the race to keep these VIPs in good humour. The dead and dying can wait, but not the VIP’s. Precious time is wasted in briefing the technical details to the virtually uninitiated VIPs, who, in their turn, pretend to understand the nitty-gritty, even though most of it goes over their heads. These visits are an avoidable burden on the public exchequer as the actual cost incurred on such visits can be better used for railway safety.

These visits add a political dimension to an essentially human tragedy, with a game of one-upmanship being played out for the TV cameras. Every politician and their uncles, joins the bandwagon, political polarisation takes place, relegating the human suffering to the background.

VIPs can pay their condolence from the place where they are, they can go to the hospitals to ensure proper care of the injured. The next of kin of the affected, both injured and dead should be provided quick passage both by air and rail and taken to the morgues for dignified funerals. The vulgar manner in which the compensation amount is announced, even before the actual death count comes also smacks of political babble.

The Russian President Putin had refused to go the Kursk submarine disaster site, stating that it would impact the rescue operation. When Hurricane Katrina struck, the US president did not rush to the disaster zone, train accidents in Turkey, Greece, France did not see the prime ministers rushing to the spots.

While disasters make for good electoral politics, what can these politicians actually do in a disaster beyond the theatre of making brief visits? They can get out of the way and let the relief workers do their job. Unfortunately, the value of life in India is just worth politics. Cheap politics.