Original version

BBC World Service Online

From Our Own Correspondent

News

Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers.

Insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers from around the world.

From Our Own Correspondent: India and St Kitts and Nevis

India cyclone AP hi019621807.jpg

18/10/2013

India and St Kitts and Nevis

BBC World Service - From Our Own Correspondent, India and St Kitts and Nevis

India's varied disaster-handling competence, and the politics of prime land in St Kitts

Andrew North on the competent, or tragically incompetent, disaster handling of Indian state governments, and Orin Gordon on the politics of selling prime coastal land in St Kitts.

India suffered one of the most devastating cyclones in living memory recently, but the authorities had learned the lessons of previous storms that killed thousands, so that this time very few people died. Has India now become better equipped at dealing with disasters? Andrew North finds that while the cyclone turned into a good news story, that was not the case of a stampede during a pilgrimage, where lessons appeared not to have been learned, and 100 people died. 

The Caribbean island state of St Kitts and Nevis has beaches with breath-takingly beautiful views of neighbouring islands and seas. And now the government is selling some of this prime land off to foreign investors for development. But, as Orin Gordon finds, locals are worried about their rights to access these beaches, so land has now become a political issue, ahead of next year's elections. 

Presenter: Pascale Harter
Producer: Arlene Gregorius
Picture Credit: AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

Accessibility links

Programme Index

From Our Own Correspondent

India and St Kitts and Nevis

Genres

Brand

BBC World Service Online

About BBC World Service