Telangana High Court on Thursday declined to hear a PIL petition seeking a direction to State government to transfer online ₹10,000 relief to each of families affected by recent heavy rains in city, instead of paying in cash.
A bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy, however, directed Advocate General B.S. Prasad to secure instructions on the matter from the government. A lawyer C.V. Srinath, who filed the plea, contended that the likelihood of the cash relief being misappropriated cannot be ruled out.
Thousands of families were affected due to inundation, deluge, water-logging and floods in several parts of the State capital following recent incessant rains. The government decided to extend monetary help of ₹10,000 to each family whose properties got damaged in the floods.
Stating that the money being paid to people was that of the tax payers, the petitioner wanted the monetary relief to be extended through either online transfer or cheque payment to ensure the genuinely affected families benefited. This would check possible misappropriate of the money being distributed physically, the petitioner stated.
The petitioner’s lawyer contended that Ministers, MsLA, corporators and leaders of ruling TRS party were taking part in disbursement of ₹10,000 to families. Huge sums of tax payers’ money was being diverted in some cases, he said. While the middlemen are getting benefited, the real victims were being deprived of the crucial financial assistance, he argued.
Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy observed that newspaper reports said the government had decided to keep in abeyance temporarily distribution of the monetary relief. At this juncture, no interim direction can be given on the issue raised by the petitioner, he said.
The matter was posted after three weeks for hearing.