Kerala deluge: Opposition seeks a special account for funds drive
: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Monday demanded that the fund collection initiated by the Kerala government following the devastating floods should go into a special account and not into the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).
Addressing the media here after a meeting of UDF leaders, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the need of the hour was to have a separate account for the funds that have started to come in to rebuild Kerala.
“The government should set up a special account for rebuilding the state. We are demanding this because when Ockhi struck last year, ~104 crore was received and till now only ~25 crore has been utilised,” he said.
“Where has the rest of the money gone? We wish to know.”
Chennithala also said that soon after Ockhi struck, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced a slew of measures but many of the announcements continued to be only on paper.
“In the light of how Ockhi was managed, the government cannot afford to do a callous job this
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time. First Vijayan announced ~3,800 to be given to all those affected by floods, then it was raised to ~10,000. “We demand everyone should get ~25,000.”
So far more than ~500 crore has come into the CMDRF.
The UDF also demanded a judicial probe into opening of the dams’ sluice gates, saying this was the single major cause for large-scale damage to the state.
RELIEF AID TO SET SAIL FROM KOLKATA PORT
Relief materials collected by institutions and individuals in the city for flood-ravaged Kerala are set to sail in a ship from Kolkata Port today.
“The relief materials will be sailing for the Kochi Port today on MV SSL Chennai in two 20-feet containers,” Kolkata Port Trust deputy chairman S Balaji Arunkumar said. The containers would be carried free of cost from the Netaji Subhas Dock.
“It will take at least seven days to reach the Kochi Port, from where authorities will help to get the materials distributed.” PTI
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