JABALPUR, MAY 23: Chaotic relief and rehabilitation work touched off angry demonstrations and road blockades by residents here today even as toll in Thursday's earthquake mounted to 43 with two more deaths being reported and a missing person presumed dead.

Relief was yet to be provided to the worst-affected in the city by the district administration which is busy having meetings after the departure of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, who airdashed here yesterday to personally take stock of the situation. The Chief Minister said there might be no need to stop work on the Narmada dam as it had a very high safety factor but said the seismic character of the Narmada valley needed to be examined extensively in view of the earthquake.

Hundreds of people were given shelter in nine relief camps, set up on the outskirts of the city. Rescue teams rushed food, medicines, wooden logs and bedsheets to the survivors.Civil authorities assisted by Army jawans were busy restoring electricity and water supply and telecommunication network. According to local people, the toll could have been higher but for the torrid heat which made people sleep in the open during the night. Among the lucky survivors on this count were the 500-odd residents of Kosamghat village, where the quake was epicentred. The powerful quake wiped out members of four families in the worst-hit areas of the city.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.