Official excuses aplenty on 17,000 Kolonnawa flood insurance payouts
More than 16 months after severe flooding devastated Kolonnawa on the outskirts of Colombo, some 17,000 families are still awaiting compensation, while Government officials, the state insurance fund, and politicians blame each other for the delays and missteps.
Divisional secretaries claim they do not know the addresses of claimants and the state insurance fund claims it handed over the money to local government officials.
Apparently, divisional secretariat officials are unable to handle the work load.
Tuan Arris (57), of Wellampitiya, who had a cottage industry involving garments, told the Sunday Times he was not pleased with the inaction of government officials and ministers who promised relief during the flooding.
Mr. Arris said that his loss has been estimated at Rs 1.8 million for materials.
“I am aware that many countries provided relief money to Sri Lanka and the money was enough to provide Rs 100,000 to each person, unfortunately no one received money,’’ he said.
But, he said, he is making an effort to repair the house and to buy machines to cut strips of cloth to run his small business operation.
He demanded that government officials should not steal relief money.
“My son is suffering from an illness. He cannot walk without assistance, while my wife sufferers from kidney stones. My right leg was amputated following an accident,” he said.
P. Chandara Gunathilake, a resident of Wellampitiya, Kithampahuwa area, said her family only received Rs 10,000 in 2016.
She complained that only a few people received Rs 15,000 as second payments recently, but there was nothing for her.
“During the floods, university students, of ficials of the Disaster Management Centre and grama sewaka visited us multiple times to estimate damages,’’ she said, adding that losses were estimated to be Rs 300,000, but she received only an initial payment of Rs 10,000.
She said that her house was under five feet of water. The damage was extensive.
Another resident at Kithapahuwa area, S. A. M. Priyadharshani, said that she too did not receive compensation for her house, partly built out of wood. When it was built, her husband brought the material from their home town Bulathsinhala.
Ms Piyadharashani added that the government officials visited her six months after the floods and took pictures. At the time, the family had done some repairs. Officials asked them to fill forms for compensation. But the family had heard nothing since.
“We are in debt, because we ourselves have to repair the house,” she said.
“My husband, me and my son who is at pre-school, sleep in two small beds that were broken during the floods.’’
She said that those outside Kolonnawa had received compensation last year, while people in Bulathsinhala got Rs 25,000 this year.
Residents are unaware that Rs 900 million had been allocated for compensation, but officials had failed to complete the payments with each agency blaming the other.
Colombo District Secretary, Sunil Kannanagara, pointed out that although Rs 900 million had been provided by the National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF), the cheque for the total amount was provided only with a name and identity card number and without the address of the recipient.
“We could not identify the recipient without an address or contact number because there are over 17,000 families in six divisional secretary areas,’’ he said.
He said more information was requested, but only the details of 11,000 of them were available.
He added that the District Secretariat and Divisional Secretary have limited resources to verify details. So the money was returned to the fund.
A spokesman of the NITF, claimed that compensation was allocated based on the details provided by the Colombo District Secretary and divisional representatives. The spokesman argues, therefore, the divisional secretaries must be able to identify people who are entitled to compensation.
“The money was provided in March 2017, but when we inquired in September the money had not been distributed to the [flood] victims,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the director general of the National Disaster Relief Service Centre, Chaminda Pathiraja, said divisional secretariats have been overwhelmed by the work.
Mr Pathiraja said, in future they will give compensation directly through the fund.
Home Affairs secretary, Neil de Alwis, promised compensation will be available in two weeks.
He said investigations are being carried out by the Home Affairs Ministry.
Home Affairs Minister, Vajira Abeywardena last week ordered an inquiry over the compensation delays.