Are disasters all about compensation

OK... will talk about only one disaster here, of which I know a lot. The bhopal gas tragedy.

A long time ago, in the cold month of december, there was a gas leak in a town called bhopal. The gas was MIC(methyl iso-cyanate), very poisonous. Lacs of townsfolk died, several lacs affected and living their lives in gassed misery..... this was the introduction.

After the gas leak, the govt announced compensation for all affected people. Fair enough. But what the govt did not ensure(as always) that everyone who was getting a chunk of that money was worthy of it or not. I myself know of people who weren't affected, who didn't even belong to the city, but who are getting huge amounts of compensation. Very unfair.

And what about the affected who got the compensation? Well most of them are still living out in slums, having spent all that money, and waiting for another round of compensation, that'll be shortly dispensed. So nice.

Would it not have been better to give these people some source of income rather than the money itself?Sounds good to me, at least it would have provided better lives to many of these. Just like the chinese folk tale, where the younger brother does not give food to a beggar, but takes him to a pond and teaches him how to fish!!

I'd rather see the govt. spend that compensation money to generate jobs reserved for these affected people, clean up their localities of the poisonous chemicals that still linger in the water, give them better living condidtions.......but I guess giving away money just sounds so good, to the short-sighted Indian voters and politicos.....hell why does everything always come down to this???