It is difficult to believe we have never heard of the city of Amdavad. Destroyed by the recent massive earthquake -- abetted by the negligence of humans -- PNS contributor Batuk Vora tries to grasp the situation. Vora reports on-scene from Gujarat, India.

Imagine a mass of people chasing a relief supply vehicle, bundles of belongings on their heads and in their hands, trying to grab packages of food or whatever other material comes by.

Or a few thousand people lying below 20 to 30 feet of debris for five days as the rescue teams reaches them too late.

Or a surgeon amputating a woman's leg with a machete, forced to stand on her dead husband lying besides her.

The earthquake in the western Indian state of Gujarat will take no less than 100,000 lives, according to India's defense minister. Local media put the figure at no less than 50,000.

But those involved in relief and rescue are not so concerned with counting dead bodies as with how to save those still alive.

Both hope and despair are writ large on the faces of those who survive. On one hand, they are furious -- some crying aloud, asking why they did not die alongside husbands or wives or children, some cursing the rescue teams for being too slow, some blaming India's nuclearization and other "sins" against nature.

Many are simply mute and dazed.

Those who lost everything in the 170 high-rises of Amdavad that collapsed like a pack of cards are incensed about building code violations allowed by the builders-politicians nexus.

With a population of 42 million, Gujarat is one of India's three most industrialized and prosperous states. It is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, whose ashram in Amdavad stands intact despite ruined houses nearby. Nearly half this 600-year-old city's historic monuments have crumbled.

The Kutch district (or county) in the north bordering Pakistan is worst affected, with Bhuj, a city of 1.5 million, and a hundred nearby villages and towns almost flattened out. The state government estimates damage at around $30 billion. Aid coming from various countries appears like a drop in the ocean.

Quite a few people wonder why more help has not been provided. What happened in Gujarat surpasses the earthquake calamities in Taiwan, El Salvador or Turkey within the last two years. Some ask why, if the big powers are able to rush thousands of tanks or aircraft in a war-like situation within few hours, why could they not move with similar speed during a disaster in any part of the globe?

People have hope, but nobody knows how they will be able to rebuild their homes or provide their basic needs while they have been thrown onto the streets or have taken refuge with relatives. Government machinery, as usual, falls short of providing speedy relief.

Preparing for any repetition of such a calamity in the earthquake- prone Kutch district would cost over $500 million according to a memorandum submitted to the central government. Estimated assistance for rebuilding private properties and restoring the livelihood of those affected by the quake-affected people would come to $21 billion. Immediate relief (temporary shelters) are expected to cost some $210 million.