THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When an embattled Kerala fought the unprecedented floods, what stood out was the harmony in chain of command, right from the government to the rescue worker on ground.
But now things are going to change as the state is slowly recuperating from the rude shock. The government too is showing signs of drifting away from the path of consensus. A few decisions, taken in haste by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government, have prompted critics to adopt a sceptical view.
On Wednesday, the state cabinet okayed a fund-raising tour by ministers to 14 countries where the Kerala diaspora is strong. In all these countries, Keralites had launched relief campaigns in a big way to send relief materials to the state.
“If the visit of ministers will help us mobilise thousands of crores, it is a good thing,” said former senior official with UN John Samuel, who is also the president of Institute for Sustainable Development and Governance. “We are unclear about the cost we need to rebuild Kerala. The estimate shared by authorities vary from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore. If ministers go abroad without an empirical study report and a proper strategy, it will be like putting the cart before the horse,” he said.
Government sources said the delegation led by a minister to each of these countries will have five to seven members and their travel and other expenses would run into crores.
The decision to engage global consultants
KPMG to prepare a master plan to rebuild Kerala has invited criticism even from within the ranks of Left sympathizers. Recent controversies in South Africa and the Netherlands, where the group was exposed of engaging in unethical business practices, prompted activists to take a critical view of the decision.
Former senior adviser to UNDP G Pramod Kumar said the help from consultants may help fetch international assistance. “I would first suggest a major consultation involving various stakeholders. The best global practice is to make reconstruction decentralized rather than engaging a single agency as consultant,” he said.
Samuel felt that many members of the state planning board are efficient to plan the rebuilding better than any global consultant. “We can organize panchayat-level consultation and come up with a proper Kerala rebuilding strategy with the help of inhouse talent,” he said.
Experts emphasized on the urgent need to keep a separate fund for rebuilding Kerala rather than keeping CMDRF as the sole fund. Kumar said a separate fund for this mission must be set up and a state-run SPV, like Kochi Metro, should be constituted to oversee works.
The prominence given by CPM to anti-green MLAs like PV Anwar, Thomas Chandy and S Rajendran by side-lining MLAs from affected region during the assembly session that discussed floods also created doubts about the party’s sincerity in carrying forward the task of sustainable development.
Writer and orator Sunil P Elayidom wrote on Facebook: “It is high time the Left got rid of left MLAs, who blabber blunders like whether landslides happen inside forest because there are quarries, if they want to earnestly discuss rebuilding Kerala”
