Time to focus on rehabilitation and relief of riot-hit families
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: May 09, 2023 -

AFTER 50-plus casualties, hundreds left wounded and thousands displaced from their homes during the communal clashes between two communities in a span of less than 6o hours counted from May 3 evening, life seems to be limping back to normalcy in the state including in the worst affected areas.

With exception of reports about exchange of gunfire between the combined security teams and unknown armed persons in the hillocks adjoining the valley dis-tricts, there has been no fresh outbreak of violence across the state in past two days, thereby giving a huge sigh of relief to both the commoners and the government.

Though debates on who should be held accountable for the crisis and rendering thousands homeless would undoubtedly rage for a while, the cessation of violence paves the way for reaching out to the people in distress staying at temporary shelter and relief camps set up and run by local organisations and security establishments.

As shops and markets reopen, albeit briefly, and vehicles start plying, concerned stakeholders are prioritising distribution of essential items to the communal riot-affected families.

As hundreds of displaced families, who had fled from the worst-hit areas, are crammed in the handful of relief camps it is obvious that such temporary arrangement would be bereft of basic facilities like mattresses, mosquito nets, electricity or even separate bath-rooms for men and women.

Though seemingly belated, the state government too has activated relief operations as security forces continue to carry out confidence-building measures through round-the-clock deployment in vulnerable areas and conduct of flag marches to drive home the message to the trouble-makers that any attempt to aggravate situation will be tackled with firmly.

Now that the task has been cut out for minis-ters and MLAs to oversee the relief distribution programmes, there is every reason to belief that the people in distress would be relieved to an extent, if not fully satisfied.

Prior to realisation of the government that the displaced families are in a dire situation, local and state level civil society organisations had already initiated relief works through donation of cash and kind from the general population and despatching teams to the relief camps to hand over the collected items and share solidarity with the suffering public.

Considering the traumatic circumstance under which they were forced to leave behind their home and hearth, it is but natural that their future is bleak and wouldn't want to take the risk of returning home as there is strong possibility of recurrence of violence.

As such, extending monetary and material assistance would be the least the general population could do in this hour of crisis.

Notably, the fact that movements were allowed despite imposition of curfew also manifests understanding of the situation at hand among the law enforcement personnel.

Such humane gesture had also come to the fore when the state was affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

While only time will tell whether or not the traumatic experience of the affected people could be healed fully, the dis-placed families will look forward to the teams of ministers and MLAs formed to look after the relief and shelter camps set up in different places chalking up plans and policies for proper rehabilitation in safer locations and safeguard the same with deployment of security personnel in sufficient strength.