A one-day State-level workshop on ‘Issues and challenges in climate change adaption and disaster relief and rehabilitation (DRR) and ensuring accountability’ held here on Tuesday resolved that State Government should provide disaster insurance for the people in coastal and disaster-prone regions and must ensure transparency and accountability in relief and rehabilitation works by taking panchayat as a unit.
The workshop was organised jointly by the Coast Council, Ganjam Disaster Response Forum (GDRF), Youth for Social Development (YSD) and United Artist Association (UAA). “The issue of accountability appears to be a distant mirage during disasters. In course of a survey carried out by an YSD team in two blocks in Ganjam after the Cyclone Phailin, many issues of corruption came to notice,” said Sudarshan Chhotoray of Coast Council. He added that people affected due to the Phailin are not aware of their entitlements even since at the time of disaster rescue and relief operations.
“It appears that estimation of loss/damage of property has been done arbitrarily with local bigwigs dominating the process more often than not. As a result, many Phailin victims did not receive their dues from the Government as part of the relief activities,” said Bibhu Prasad Sahu of YSD. A total of 1,512 households were surveyed in two the blocks, Ranegeilunda, in Ganjam district. Around 40 NGOs, 15 international donor agencies, senior officials from the Government, 15 coastal communities from Ganjam and activists and academicians also participated in the workshop.