Andaman & Nicobar victims shortchanged

The Indian government has come in (and deservedly so) for some serious flak over the pathetic handling of relief in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were hit very severely by the Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean. The British newspaper 'The Independent' reported about the angry reaction when the Indian government started handing out compensation checks worth Rs.2 (!!!) - thats right, its the equivalent of about 4-5cents (forget that its 4-5 cents, Rs. 2 is a trivial amount even in the Andaman Islands, and wont get you even a full meal) to the people in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who were affected by the December 2004 tsunami disaster. [via The Tsunami Relief Blog]. Lt. Gov Ram Kapse, who is the civilian head of local government there was forced at admit the ridiculous nature of the compensation after the BBC unearthed the information. The report from The Independent goes on to state:

Many Indian commentators thought Mr Kapse was lucky to keep his job after the woeful relief effort on the islands. Survivors were left without food or shelter for more than a week while Mr Kapse's administration refused to allow foreign aid or relief workers to reach them.

The BBC now reports that an inquiry has been launched into this situation. Hopefully, it will mean that more appropriate compensations will be handed out in a timely manner allowing those affected to rebuild their lives faster.