CM claims funds have not been allotted despite several petitions; Opposition leader says delay in
aid disbursal shows Centre’s ‘wilful neglect’; Left, Cong. using Assembly to malign Union govt.: BJP
The Kerala Assembly on Monday unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to release mandatory aid for the landslides-hit Wayanad district immediately.
The resolution also stressed the need to write off the loans taken by the landslide victims. The Assembly sought the Centre’s urgent intervention to persuade the National Disaster Management Authority to write off the debt.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M.B. Rajesh moved the resolution ahead of an adjournment debate on the subject.
Congress legislator T. Siddique, who moved the adjournment motion, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the disaster area had raised hopes of substantial and immediate assistance but to no avail. He also claimed that the State government’s search operations in the disaster zone had petered out after Mr. Modi’s visit. Revenue Minister K. Rajan however said that the search operations for the missing persons were still going on.
Kerala Assembly adopts resolution seeking release of Central aid for Wayanad
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Centre had not released emergency aid for Wayanad, while it had disbursed substantial aid to other States that faced disasters of a lesser magnitude. Mr. Vijayan said he had met Mr. Modi and sought urgent aid. The government
followed up the meeting with several petitions but to no avail. The government prepared a memorandum for aid as per norms and submitted it to the Centre.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the inordinate delay in disbursing aid testified to the
Centre’s wilful neglect of Kerala. This was an insult to the State. Mr. Satheesan said disaster aid was not the Centre’s “charity” but the right of provincial governments.
“There should be reciprocity in a federal system,” he added.
BJP State president K. Surendran said the ruling front and the Opposition had used the Assembly to spread lies, malign the Centre, and shirk responsibility for shoddy rehabilitation work in Wayanad.