The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Tamil Nadu still awaits Centre's relief package

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 28, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu still awaits Centre's relief package

By V. Jayanth

CHENNAI, JAN. 27. Even a week after the Centre cleared a Rs. 2731 crore assistance package for the tsunami-affected States, Tamil Nadu is yet to receive any formal word from New Delhi. There is no sign yet of the release of the lion's share of Rs. 2262 crores to the State, which suffered the most extensive damage in the December 26 catastrophe.

The State administration was planning to finalise and announce the implementation of at least the fisheries package today, though the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, has already outlined the programme.

The Fisheries Department is still in the process of assessing the damage to individual boats and catamarans. Since a majority of them have been piled up in some villages and are still in the process of being extricated, the exercise has not been completed, according to official sources.

It was planned to replace the damaged nets and equipment under one programme and assist the fishermen in the repair or replacement of their vessels through another project. As the Centre had indicated a 35 per cent subsidy for the purchase of new boats or catamarans, the Fisheries Department was consulting the fishermen on what they would like to do. Given the cost of the vessels, especially the fibre boats, many of the fishermen do not seem inclined to go in for it.

Official sources said that relief work in the affected districts had been completed and temporary shelters in most areas were ready and had been occupied. In some coastal hamlets, the fisher folk were unwilling to shift to these shelters on one pretext or another. Those whose dwelling units could be repaired had been provided with assistance to do so.

Simultaneously, the district administration was identifying suitable locations for the construction of permanent shelter for the affected families. This was a "consultative process" and there would have to be a match between the choice of the fisher folk and the actual availability of land. The local panels being set up, comprising elected representatives, NGOs and officials, was expected to aid and speed up the process of identification of land for construction.

No major hiccups

The sources said that except for the initial complaints about the delay in relief reaching the affected families, there have been no major hiccups in the process.

The Chief Minister was personally and continuously monitoring the relief and rehabilitation programme and had shuffled some of the officers to improve the implementation of it. Similarly, there were initially some complaints about lack of interaction between the official machinery and the NGOs on the field.

An Officer on Special Duty was appointed to sort out these teething problems and the District Collectors and Superintendents of Police were now regularly interacting with the NGO representatives to address day-to-day problems.

One issue that figured repeatedly — based on the feedback from the ground — was that some of the cash relief given to fishermen did not reach the families. It was spent in liquor. In many cases, the protests or demonstrations were on account of this, officials noted. Such a problem could not be solved by the Government. But wherever possible, the relief assistance was being handed over in the presence of the women, they added. When it came to the construction of permanent housing, the problem of dissent was bound to be even more pronounced.

As the District Collectors were in the city today for discussions with the Chief Electoral Officer, those from the affected districts utilised the opportunity to meet with the Relief Commissioner R. Santhanam and the OSD, C.V. Sankar, to review the rehabilitation effort.

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