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US Congressmen appeal to Bush to step up aid to India

Several US Congressmen have appealed to the Bush administration to provide additional assistance to quake-hit Gujarat, even as the House of Representatives passed a resolution on stepping up aid and helping in the reconstruction of the affected areas.

"We urge that the US provide a substantial package of assistance to victims of the earthquake. We would be pleased to assist in any way possible," chairman of the House International Relations Committee Republican Henry J Hyde and high-ranking Democrat Tom Lantos said in a letter to President George W Bush.

"While we commend your expression of support to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the initial aid package of five million dollars announced by US Agency for International Development, we believe the humanitarian and economic devastation in Gujarat will require much more," they said.

The Government of India, they said, has mounted "a heroic effort to bring assistance to the people of Gujarat. They have mobilised their formidable military assets to address the logistical challenges of collapsed buildings and infrastructure."

"However, as we realised during our own experience with earthquakes in California and the widespread damage resulting from earthquakes in El Salvador, Turkey and Taiwan, the awesome devastation caused by an earthquake of this magnitude can easily overwhelm the ability of any government to respond," the Congressmen said.

Democratic Congressman and chairman of India Caucus Gary Ackerman told the House of Representatives during a debate on Wednesday that he would try to mobilise emergency financial aid from Congress to the tune of 100 million dollars for the reconstruction of Gujarat.

"We have to help our friends and allies in India, especially in Gujarat, roar back to normalcy. We have to ensure Gujarat... springs back to life. We have to help our friends in the tough task of reconstruction...It is a challenge...that can be met. The US States must show the way," he said.

Forty members of the Congress spoke during the 40-minute debate on the concurrent resolution brought in the House expressing sympathy for the quake victims and urging the administration to increase aid to India.

The resolution was passed by 406 votes to one, the lone dissent coming from Ron Paul, a Republican from Texas.

India Caucus co-chairman Jim McDermott said: "In this time of tragedy, we must stand by our friend India and the Indian people, and offer all we can to aid their efforts."

In the Senate, introducing a similar resolution with Republican Sam Brownback, Democrat Robert Torricelli said: "The tragedy in India reminds us that we truly have become a global community. The earthquake that shook a continent halfway around the world greatly affects us here in the US."

Describing the quake as "truly devastating," he said the US should step up assistance in the crisis, including military logistical support.

PTI

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