Santa’s cousin, Mohan, looks pale.
“Santa ji,” he says, showing him an official letter, “I have been made a Presiding Officer for a polling booth in a very remote village.”
“With these rains, the roads are terrible.”
“I am scared.”
“But the Sarkar says not to worry.”
“They have increased our insurance cover to 20 lakh rupees if something happens to us.”
Santa tries to be reassuring.
“Mohan, don’t you worry!”
“20 lakh is a lot of money!”
“Sarkar is taking care of you!”
Banta, who has been listening quietly, speaks up.
“Santa,” he says gently, “is your cousin a soldier going to war, or a teacher going to conduct a democratic process?”
“Why must his duty come with a price tag on his life?”
Santa is taken aback.
“It’s for his family’s security, Banta!”
“True security, Santa, is preventing the danger in the first place, not just offering compensation after the tragedy,” Banta replies.
“This insurance is like telling a village, We are taking away all your Van Chowkidars for a month during the peak season of Guldar attacks. But don’t worry, if the Guldar eats someone, we will give their family a handsome relief.”
“Is that a solution?”
“Or is it an admission of failure?”
He continues, “Right now, our entire state’s Chowkidars – the Patwaris who report damage, the PWD engineers who clear roads, the health workers who manage emergencies, the Police who conduct rescues – all 95,000 of them are being prepared for election duty.”
“Their focus, their energy, their very presence is being diverted.”
“At a time when the Guldar of Apada is most likely to strike, we are leaving our villages completely unguarded.”
Mohan, the teacher, nods grimly.
“That’s what we were discussing in our training, Banta ji.”
“Who will manage an Apada if we are all stuck at the polling booths?”
“That is the question, Mohan ji,” Banta says.
“And this 20 lakh insurance is the government’s uncomfortable answer.”
“It is a Chuppi ka Sauda – a bargain for silence.”
“It tries to quiet our fears about the risk by offering money, instead of removing the risk itself by choosing a safer time.”
“But no amount of money can replace a life.”
“The best insurance policy is a wise decision.”
“And the wisest decision right now would be to let our Chowkidars guard our villages through the monsoon, and conduct the elections when the paths are safe for everyone.”
संता – बंता की इस जुगलबन्दी से आज हमने क्या सीखा:-
- मानव जीवन, प्रथम प्राथमिकता: बीमा किसी को जान-बूझ कर जोखिम में डालने का बहाना नही हो सकता। अब आपने जीवन बीमा करवाया हैं, इसका तात्पर्य यह तो नहीं कि कल से बिना ब्रेक की कार चलाना शुरू कर दें? प्रथम प्राथमिकता सदैव ही जोखिम न्यूनीकरण होनी चाहिये, न कि आपदा उपरान्त दिया जाने वाला मुआवजा।
- प्रतिवादन क्षमता के साथ समझौता नहीं: उच्च आपदा जोखिम वाले समय में आपदा जोखिम न्यूनीकरण, प्रतिवादन तथा पुनर्निर्माण के लिये उत्तरदायी कार्मिको को चुनाव सम्बन्धित कार्यो में उलझाने से राज्य की आपदा सम्बन्धित तैयारियों पर प्रतिकूल प्रभाव पड़ेगा।
- बचाव उपचार से सदैव बेहतर: जान-बूझ कर जोखिम उठाना मूर्खता की निशानी है, और जहाँ तक सम्भव हो अनावश्यक जोखिम उठाने से बचना चाहिये।
- जिम्मेदार शासन व्यवस्था: प्रशासनिक आयोजनों के कारण आम जनता व सरकारी कर्मचारियों को जोखिम का सामना करने की स्थिति उत्पन्न होना जिम्मेदार शासन व्यवस्था के लक्षण नहीं है।
संता – बंता की यह जुगलबन्दी आपको कैसी लगी, कृपया हमें जरुर बताये
व
इस जुगलबन्दी को बेहतर बनाने के लिये अपने सुझाव अवश्य दें।
हमें हमेशा की तरह आपके सुझावों, प्रतिक्रियाओं व कटाक्षो का बेसब्री से इंतजार रहता हैं और सच मानिये इसी के आधार पर हम अपने आप में, अपनी सोच व रचनात्मकता में सुधार करने को प्रेरित होते हैं।
सो अच्छा – बुरा जैसा आपको महसूस हुवा हो, कमेंट जरुर करें।
Very well written. The message is clear.