A cow for Rs 89,000, a
pig for Rs 12,000 and a goat, Rs 19,000. These are not fictional prices
dreamt up by some livestock dealer. These are the prices businessmen
have quoted for supplying livestock to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Thunderstruck, the union territory administration has dropped its
cattle-for-cattle scheme to compensate people who had lost their
livestock in the 2004 tsunami. It is now considering distributing cash.
Three years after the tragedy, the massive rehabilitation work
continues to challenge the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Soon after the tsunami, the central government sanctioned Rs 13 crore
to pay the victims half the cost of their lost livestock and poultry.
In August 2006, the Union agriculture ministry revised the scheme and
sanctioned Rs 25.7 crore, under which the administration would replace
the dead animals.
Tenders were first invited locally but the rates quoted by contractors
were higher than the government-approved rates. Tenders were then
invited at national level, but all jaws dropped when the rates quoted
by suppliers were made public two months ago. Outdoing local suppliers,
they asked for prices up to seven times the government rates. As per
government-approved rates, a cow should not cost more than Rs 12,000;
pig, Rs 4,000 and goat, Rs 3,000. But suppliers know that Andaman is a
far-flung archipelago with limited resources and the administration has
no option but to accept the lowest bid. Since there are very few
genuine suppliers in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, competition is next
to nil. Many businessmen from the Andamans became livestock suppliers
overnight and quoted high rates, though they justify them.
“You can’t blame us. Bringing livestock from mainland India, which is
nearly 1,200 km from Port Blair, is not a child’s play. Who will pay
for the freight and any possible death of livestock?” asks G Anand, a
local supplier whose rates were nearly Rs 3,000 more than government
rates. Others blame government guidelines for the sky-high rates. The
tender states 3,786 cows, 16,623 goats and 38,446 pigs are to be
supplied for replacement. “As per the guidelines we need to keep the
livestock in Chennai or Kolkata for at least one month under care of
veterinary doctors before bringing them and doctors to Port Blair. We
will have to bear all this cost,” says P Cheku, a businessmen in
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Disease is another concern. B Mahto, the director of the Animal
Husbandry and Veterinary Services, warns that animals brought from the
mainland may be afflicted with diseases not known in the islands. “When
you bring them in bulk, chances of importing unknown cattle disease are
very high, so we need to take all precautions. Guidelines regarding
this have been issued in the tender,” he adds.
Back to cash
What do people prefer, cash or cattle? Grassroots leaders and those who
have lost their cattle in the tsunami allege that the administration
did not hear them out on the issue. “We have been demanding
distributing cash against loss of livestock since the beginning.
Moreover, tsunami-affected families do not have place to keep
livestock,” says P Halder, a grassroots leader.
Almost 98 per cent of the affected are still living in temporary
shelters. “We do not have enough room for our family in these one-room,
tinned shelters. If we are given livestock, where will we keep them?”
asks Ananda Roy of Chouldari village in South Andaman.
Even some officials of the Andaman administration believe that giving
money for the loss of animals is a better option. Says Mahto: “This
will not only save the government money, but also be best for those
waiting for compensation. ” The administration, he adds, has finally
decided in favour of cash compensation, but is yet to recommend this to
the agriculture ministry.
While the administration wavers, the wait for compensation gets longer.
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