Thiruvananthapuram: State govt will once again request Centre to waive off the costs incurred for the airlifting rescue missions during the 2019 floods and also during the Wayanad landslide.
State govt said that central govt's demand for immediate repayment is a severe discrimination against the state. Govt has decided to address Centre's actions politically, said revenue minister K Rajan.
"If the pressure to repay continues, state will consider paying from the state disaster response fund (SDRF). The demand for Rs 132.62 crore for airlifting during the disasters is seen as a severe discrimination against Kerala. The state will request the central govt to waive the amount. It would be appropriate for Centre to bear the cost of services provided by central agencies during disasters," he said.
"Asking the state to pay Centre from the SDRF is not a practical approach. At this stage, using a significant portion of Kerala's SDRF funds for this purpose would create a major crisis," he added.
The central govt had issued a letter through the state chief secretary demanding repayment of Rs 132.62 crore for airlift services during the floods and also during the Wayanad disaster. The letter specifies that Rs 69,65,46,417 be paid for the rescue operations during the Wayanad landslide disaster over several days. The Indian Air Force provided airlifting services and the demand is for the repayment of these costs.
Meanwhile, governor Arif Mohammed Khan criticized state govt regarding Wayanad rehabilitation. He alleged that NGOs and various individuals offered significant assistance for the rehabilitation of the landslide-affected people in Wayanad, yet state govt failed to allocate the necessary land to them. Khan said in New Delhi that if a proper report was submitted, the central govt would have provided assistance. The Kerala high court has also questioned state govt on this, he added. The governor said that the Prime Minister himself had promised assistance for Wayanad.