The Pune Landslide tragedy

 A Tragedy struck in a Pune village in the form of a land slide on July 30 killing nearly 200 people.

  In fact no one knows exactly how many people died in the mishap. The dead were tribal people and the place was most backward area on the slopes of a hill. The poor people did agricultural work on the hill and lived on the slopes in a cluster of huts. When the rain lashed incessantly on the hill the loose soil and rocks flowed downhill and inundated the hutments. Except for a lucky few all the inmates died there and then. The poor souls never knew what happened.

In this case, a tribal employment scheme sponsored by the Government was also reported to be guilty in ushering-in the tragedy. The scheme gave employment to the tribal people and the work was flattening the hill top which made a large portion of hill top soil turn loose and bunds were not erected to prevent the soil from flowing downhill. There was not much rain when the work on the hill was doing. Later the rain strengthened and the unprotected soil and rocks flowed down.  In the Pune tragedy a Hanuman temple situated on the hill was also inundated and a group of visiting students who stood in the temple premises to escape from a sudden rain were suspected to have buried. Some local students were also in the vicinity and they too are missing. The incident turned out to be a great tragedy with a big loss of lives.

 Similar landslides occur wherever people do agri.works on the hill tops. There are many people living on the slopes of Western Ghats of Kerala cultivating Rubber, tapioca etc and the land slide tragedy strikes them often. Since they do not live in a cluster of houses as the tribal people, the inmates of a couple of houses or so die in the mishap. Such incidents are always tragic irrespective of the death toll.

The trees, plants and grass protect the soil from erosion and when the eco system is upset the Mother Nature will retaliate. We have to live in tune with the nature to avoid such calamities.

The Election result and Sri Rahul Gandhi

 It is a difficult period for the Congress party. The party not only failed in election but also fell short of even winning enough seats, 10% seats, to become leader of the opposition. It is not easy in politics to fail because the party high command has to bear the brunt of it squarely. Ever since the election results came out Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were bearing the silent accusations of party workers for the dismal failure of the party, especially the young Rahul Gandhi, who the party workers expected to bring in victory against all odds.

The reason for the dismal performance of the party was obvious. The Congress party was at the helm of the Government for the last ten years and the incumbency factor along with price rise and corruption charges had reduced much of the shine of the Government before the public. No one could have changed the attitude of the people by any length of speech or party work.

There is a perception among the Congress workers that if Sri Rahul Gandhi were more spirited, things would not have come to such a pass. It is a wrong perception. When a party is in power for a decade people do get fed up with it and Rahall Gandhi can do little against the people’s desire for a change and he was the vice President of the party too. If he was a new face in the Party he would have had a fighting chance.  It is, therefore, not a verdict against Rahul Gandhi.
One other perception of the party workers that Priyanka Gandhi could have brought the party to victory is also not on reason as the factor of incumbency is still there.

 Sri  Rahul Gandhi is young and he has ample chances to  try his hand at administration.  In the meanwhile, as Emperor Marcus Aurelius said let him live his life on his own terms.








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