Bihar Deluge: Why no serious debate by media?

http://patnadaily.com/readerswrite/2008/aug/indra8.html

Bihar Deluge: What a Media!
By Indra
Aug. 31, 2008
August 30, 2008 Saturday: It has become now a routine for me. At 8 PM I switch on TV news channels of my choice to watch and hear the debates on current nation issues in which some of the topmost personalities in their area of expertise participate. I did the same today with a hope that at least one of the four channels of my choice will have a serious debate on the Deluge in 'Bihar and its responsibility'. Why after 60 years of independence and so much of technical advancement by the country in all the areas of engineering, Bihar is still at the mercy of Kosi? Why a government that can waive 70,000 crore loan of the farmers and provide a subsidy on the fertilizers to the extent of Rs 90,000 crore can't take up some project of national importance to overcome the source of this misery? I got the answer to my question, 'why it is so'. Even after more than 25 million people across 14 districts affected and 2.5 lakh houses destroyed in Bihar by the Kosi menace, the channels never thought the subject fit enough requiring a debate in its programmes at 8 PM. Two of the channels, NDTV India and CNN-IBN found communal problem with reference to Orissa's incidents as the subject of debate. Among the other two, NDTV 24x7 debated homosexuality and the topic on CV18 was 'left is problem or solution for reforms'. Is it not a gross irresponsible behaviour by the channel administrations in deciding the priority of burning issues? How can one overlook the natural calamity in Bihar that is there because the government after government has neglected Bihar for last 60 years? The channels would have debated why it has happened, and will Kosi remain curse in years to come too.-- Rgds, Naveen