Relief fund: Opposition demands transparency

Kerala’s Congress-led Opposition UDF on Monday demanded constitution of a tribunal for overseeing matters related to funds being mobilised for meeting the requirements of relief and rehabilitation of victims of the unprecedented deluge and creation of a separate account for flood relief fund even as it repeated its charge against the State Government that the deluge was the result of mismanagement of dams.

“Instead of putting the financial resources mobilised for flood relief into the Chief Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, a tribunal should be constituted for handling the flood relief fund. We are saying this in the context of lack of transparency in the handling of the Cyclone Ockhi relief fund,” said Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala.

Speaking to newsmen after a UDF leadership meeting in Thiruvananthapuram, Chennithala said, “We are putting forward such a demand as we don’t want the funds for flood relief to have the same fate as that of the CM’s relief fund for Cyclone Ockhi” of last November - December which sowed death and devastation in the State’s coastal region.

“As per official records, Rs 104.24 crore had come into the relief fund for Cyclone Ockhi but only Rs 25.14 crore had been utilized from that till April 20. What happened to the rest of the money? The Government has the responsibility to explain this. For the flood relief fund, a special account should be created by separating it from the CM’s relief fund,” He said.

Chennithala alleged that almost none of the promises the LDF Government had made in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi had been fulfilled. “It had promised to provide the cyclone victims with livelihood but this did not happen. An immediate compensation of Rs 2 lakh each was promised to families of the missing was promised but this was not given,” he said.

He also alleged that the Government had said that a coastal force would be constituted but this had not happened so far. “They had also promised to reconstitute the State Disaster Management Authority. However, this also has not taken place so far,” Chennithala said adding that the compensation for the flood victims should be distributed within six months.

The Opposition Leader reiterated the UDF’s demand for a judicial probe into the situation in which the shutters of several major dams – including the giant Idukki, Idamalayar, Sholayar and Peringalkuthu reservoirs – were opened at the same time, which he said was the reason behind the unprecedented flood.

PK Kunhalikutty MP, senior leader of the Muslim League, second biggest UDF constituent, told newsmen that the Opposition was demanding a new system and separate account for the flood relief fund because of the chances of its diversion to other areas. “The disaster relief fund is a flexible fund from which allocations can be made to other areas,” he said.

“That is why we are demanding a separate account and a panel to handle it. It should be utilized in a time-bound manner. Politics should not creep into the relief fund’s utilization. There should be no allocations from this fund for general requirements. We are saying this because the Cyclone Ockhi relief experience was not very good,” Kunhalikutty said.

The UDF also asked the LDF Government, which has proposed a cess on the State GST in order to mobilize resources for meeting the flood relief and rehabilitation requirements, should show the sincerity to be austere. The Opposition also decided that each MLA of the front would donate one month’s salary to the flood relief fund.