Daylight looting was a common sight in Cuddalore on Monday with mobs blocking trucks carrying relief material for the flood affected people and forcibly snatching them away from helpless volunteers.
They consisted mainly of commoners who said they were stocking up for eventualities as the district had been battered by torrential rain and floods since November.
It was a dramatic sight on almost all highways as crowds blocked and sometimes chased down trucks and vans carrying an array of materials such as food, water, milk powder and clothes.
On some of the main roads such as Kurinjipadi-Cuddalore road, clothes were strewn all over the place as evidence of the chaos.
Vijay, a truck driver who transported relief material from Erode, said the crowd of villagers threatened to thrash him if he did not switch off the engine. The two volunteers who accompanied him tried to persuade the crowd not to loot, stating that the material was going to a relief centre. “They verbally abused us saying instead of distributing it at a relief camp, they could do it right there,” he added.
The same set of villagers was found stopping multiple trucks and throwing away material that they did not want on the road. The menace became so horrid that complaints started flooding the local administration.
Since the problem persisted since Saturday, a high-level meeting decided to deploy police constables for protection to the vehicles.
In a statement on Monday evening, the District Collector said the relief material receipt was being coordinated at the entrance of Cuddalore itself at 7 km from Madapattu National Highway turning towards Panruti. Helplines — 9445034112, 9445008134 and 9442200186 — were established to help the volunteers.
However, those who indulged in snatching had their own justification.
“Water remains stagnant in my home. The officials have not supplied water till now. I had to filter rainwater, boil and drink it. What do you expect me to do?” alleged Kaliamurthy on Gundursalai Road.
