The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `NGOs' transactions should be transparent'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 25, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`NGOs' transactions should be transparent'

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUNELVELI, JAN. 24. Applauding the relief work being carried out by the non-governmental organisations in the tsunami-hit hamlets across the State, the president of State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, C.P. Radhakrishnan, has said all tsunami related transactions of the NGOs should be transparent.

Speaking to reporters here today, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the Government should allocate lands to the NGOs immediately so that the construction of houses for the affected people could be completed at the earliest.

At the same time, all transactions of the NGOs involved in the relief operations should be translucent as to how much they received and how much they spent on every project in the coastal hamlets after they commenced relief measures. They should also maintain separate accounts for all their expenditure. ``Above all, the State Government should accord top priority only to the NGOs, who come forward for an auditing by a government agency on tsunami expenditure,'' Mr. Radhakrishnan, who was here to attend a party cadres meeting, suggested.

Expressing satisfaction over the relief work done by the official machinery, the former MP suggested that the Government, instead of forming an all-party monitoring committee, could form a team, comprising MPs and MLAs of the affected district so that they could discuss it in the coming Assembly and Parliament sessions to arrive at an effective conclusion.

He condemned the DMK treasurer, Arcot N. Veerasamy, for his speech in the recently held all-party meeting in Chennai to discuss the impact of tsunami the amount of Rs. 4,800 crore assistance sought by the Chief Minister from the Centre was meagre. ``If all the promises made by the Chief Minister in the all-party meeting were executed, it would be a boon to the tsunami-affected population. Instead of criticising the State Government, the DMK, all the constituents of the UPA Government at the Centre and the communist parties should make all out efforts to get at lest the Rs. 4,800 crore.''

Acharyas' arrest

As for the arrest of Sankaracharyas, Mr. Radhakrishnan said the Government and its police were more interested in levelling more allegations against the acharyas than proving the charges against them. The police was creating panic among the devotees by enquiring the people who frequented to the mutt.

``It remembers me of the Emergency period and hence the case should be transferred to some other State. The BJP will not hesitate to commence jail-bharo across Tamil Nadu,'' he said.

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