DUSSAIYA, India (UCAN) -- A Catholic prelate in Bihar has lamented a "culture of greed" among flood victims in the eastern Indian state.

In several places, affected people protesting government relief delays have resorted to violence. In one incident a mob detained Church volunteers engaged in relief work.

This year, floods have inundated vast areas of Bihar's northern region. Several villages are marooned, which has forced thousands to flee their homes.

According to Manoj Srivastava, the state's disaster management commissioner, the government has provided 50 kilograms of wheat, 50 kilograms of rice and 200 rupees (US$5) to each affected family.

Flood victims, however, dismissed the claim and staged protest marches. As protests turned violent, police resorted to caning in Bettiah, Begusarai, Madhubani, Sahrasa, Samastipur and Sugauli towns.

On Aug. 11, a mob detained Church volunteers, abused them and tried to snatch relief materials from them. The volunteers, including a senior Caritas India official, went to Dussaiya, a village in West Champaran district, to distribute relief materials. The village is 985 kilometers east of New Delhi.

Caritas official Sebstine Kanichukumnair Raphael told UCA News Aug. 12 that more than 100 people including women surrounded and threatened "us with dire consequences if we did not give them rice and pulse (peas and lentils)." The team was about to leave the village after distributing rice and pulse to about 400 families.

Raphael tried to explain to the crowd that the materials were meant only for those on the local Church volunteers' list. The protesters came from another village. Some local leaders intervened and saved the Church team, he added.

Bishop Victor Henry Thakur of Bettiah condemned the incident and said it was the outcome of "the culture of greed among our people." Those who do not need relief still grab it, he lamented. "This is bound to trigger violent situations," added the prelate, whose diocese covers the village.

Raphael said he noticed "disorder and favoritism" on the local team's list. "It is possible," he explained, that some protesters deserved the relief more than some on the list, "but our hands were tied by the Caritas rules to strictly follow the list." He wondered if the volunteers who prepared the list might have favored neighbors and people from their communities.

"They left out several genuine victims. This is really regrettable. I have told the local Church authorities to end such prejudices," Raphael said.

Jesuit Father Sumit Menezes, a member of the diocesan relief monitoring committee, conceded such discrepancies could have occurred. In order to ensure fairness, he said, the committee will have volunteers from other areas cross-check the list.

Bishop Thakur questioned the need for flood relief, saying no flood victim has died of hunger in the past few years. "People succumb to boat mishaps, snake bites and diseases, but not to hunger," the prelate told UCA News.

He also wondered why overseas funding agencies prefer relief instead of focusing on long-term livelihood-focused programs. He wants the agencies to help in community-based disaster preparedness programs that empower "flood-prone people to face the challenges without relief crutches."

The bishop said he would write to donor agencies to support empowerment programs in his region. "We want people to stand on their own feet, not become beggars," he added. "This is the crux of Christian charity."

END

(Accompanying photos available at here)