Administrative planning and political response to a post-disaster reconstruction: A study of Aila (cyclone)-devastated Gosaba block in West Bengal (India)

Abstract

Post-disaster reconstruction should be based on the administrative planning of short-term crisis management as well as of long-term risk management in terms of restoration and development of socio-economic infrastructure including livelihood arrangements and development of capability of the victims. However, these processes are interfered with political responses, which reflect the collusions of power between the economic groups and the political structure. Qualitative analysis of the socially constructed nature of reality and of the situational constraints that shaped the inquiry of the reconstruction of Aila (super cyclone) hit Gosaba block in Sundarbans region of West Bengal reveals two basic points. Firstly, short-term crisis management gets priority over long-term risk management for political mobilisation along the distribution of resources, sometimes even to the extent of legitimising bias of the local authorities in the name of people’s participation in the decentralised structure. Secondly, a proper assessment of the issues and new social concepts, those which have developed within the community in the context of post-disaster situation, may lead to consensus building keeping aside conflicts over problems and solutions. This paper is an attempt to explore that.