Politicians using the calamity to increase popularity and thereby get votes is one kind of business, and there are many others types of commercial loot using a calamity as an opportunity for some quick and big bucks. Amma got all relief supplies stickered with her photo at every entry point to the city ensuring that all credit went to her for all the material sent by good Samaritans from neighbouring states.
A lot of material was confiscated on the highway before Chennai, not allowing material to go to the interior villages. This is called more aid to those who have already received plenty of aid. One engineering college on the Bangalore highway has collected plenty of rice and water bottles in this way. I think armed highway robbery like it happens in the Chambal valley is far better than this!
A bottle of water for Rs.100/- , a litre of milk for Rs.100/- , vegetables at Rs.100/- a Kg are some prices during the floods. black marketing, hoarding, and profiteering was the first quick money scheme.
Kits issued to people are purchased back for say Rs.20/- . Many times the kit might have cost the donor Rs.100-150 and it is recycled by paying the recipient a small sum of money, which is enough because he/she has already got the essentials.
There is still opportunity aplenty starting with using the PM's largesse, to billing for construction of new dwellings for snatching what was due to the poor family distressed and displaced by the floods.
Greed in a calamity, what a curse! The selfless, generous, and caring are another breed and thankfully outnumber the thugs in the general population, but then...................
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