Amphan Diaries, 6th June

Some community-based organisations have started rebuilding their offices after they were destroyed during the cyclone.

1) Some community-based organisations have started rebuilding their offices after they were destroyed during the cyclone.Goku

lpur Seba Sadan, one such institution in North 24 parganas, whose office had been destroyed, started their rebuilding today, which is also “World Environment Day”, reports Mohidul Islam, a social worker.

2) Many people in Basirhat II have been deprived of relief by the panchayat either because they have different political affiliations. Rabindranath Biswas, a social worker at Seth Bagan Mahila Sangha a community-based organisation reports, ” This has been going in quite a few panchayats, namely that of Kolapota, Dhanyakuria, Begumpur-Bibipur, Kachua, etc.” Similar cases have been reported in Basanti, a day ago by Amina Laskar, a social worker at Birangana Seva Samity, a community-based organisation.

3) Rabindranath also adds that the Amphan cyclone has brought down misery on the farmers in North 24 parganas who farmed on lands taken on lease. He says that the relief on these lands, that have been destroyed go to the owners and not the farmers who had taken it for lease. Due to their lease contracts having no document as evidence because of the land-owners’ choice, the farmers cannot claim any part of the relief. He says, “Land-owners even sometimes want a cyclone like Bulbul or Amphan to come every year so that they can get both the lease money as well as relief.” He also added that this practice takes place all over North 24 parganas.