Promised Central relief fund yet to arrive
Amid reports of alleged irregularities in distribution of relief funds, lives of thousands of people living along the banks of rivers continue to be on the edge. The Uttarakhand Government has not been able to put necessary mechanism in place that it had proposed post- calamity in 2013 to take on the rivers' fury. This is being attributed to the absence of the promised Central relief fund.
It is learnt that out of about Rs 500 crore as announced by the Government India and the State government for Uttarakhand to carry out the relief and repair works, including the flood protection works and construction of embankments, nothing has so far been released by the Centre since the Himalayan Tsunami had hit Uttarakhand in 2013 monsoon season.
However, out of the aforesaid Rs 500 crore, the State Government of Uttarakhand has released its share i.e. 10 per cent of the amount to the departments concerned. The Government of India that had pledged to release the rest of the amount i.e. 90 per cent of the fund to Uttarakhand, has not yet done so.
It has, therefore, become difficult to carry out the relief and rehabilitation works without adequate fund, maintain the officials concerned. Out of the fund Rs 500 crore allocated for carrying out flood protection works, including construction of embankments, an amount of Rs 188 crore had been sanctioned for carrying out repair works, including flood protection and embankment works, in the Kumaon division.
But out of Rs 188 crore sanctioned for Kumaon division for carrying out relief and repair works, including flood protection and embankment construction works, we have so far received only about 10 per cent of the amount, said DC Singh, Chief Engineer, State Irrigation Department (north), Kumaon division while talking to The Pioneer.
Yet about 30 per cent repair works, including flood protection and embankment works have been completed in the disaster- hit areas across the Kumaon division, he added. It may be recalled that whether it the Garhwal division's Kedarnath Valley or its adjoining areas or Dharchula, Munsyari, Kapkot, to name a few areas, of the Kumaon division, flooded rivers inflicted huge damage in the Himalayan State.
Keeping in view the rivers' fury that wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand in 2013, the then Vijay Bahuguna-led State Government had emphatically announced to construct embankments and do necessary flood protection works. But since then the rainy season in 2014 has almost passed, but as the officials concerned said, little has been done to take on the natural calamity.
Mention worthy, politicians never tire of milking the calamity issue to political advantage in the Himalayan state by blaming each other over disaster management issues. However, things in Uttarakhand keep on vegetating with the people left to suffer on account of the State remaining cash-strapped and the Centre not acting on its pledge.