TSUNAMI REPORT: M. Louis, State co-ordinator for Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation, talking to reporters in Chennai on Thursday. — Photo: S. Thanthoni

CHENNAI: Post-tsunami rehabilitation efforts, especially in the housing sector, have failed to reach out to large sections of the affected, a report prepared by the Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation Co-ordination Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry (TRRC), an association of NGOs, has said.

The study, carried out along with Tsunami Legal Action Committee, was spread over 434 villages and hamlets in nine tsunami-hit districts.

"Many of the promises on housing the affected have not been fulfilled. While the Government promised that 1,30,000 permanent shelters would be built, land allocation has so far been done only for 34,000 units. In 182 villages, no land has been allocated. In many places, the quality of land allotted has been found unacceptable by the beneficiaries. In others, insufficient land, less than three cents, was allotted,'' says M. Louis, State co-ordinator, TRRC, who conducted the study.

Inequitable land allocation has led to conflicts within the community in several places while in others the quality of construction is poor, with the roofs leaking during recent rain.

In many instances, the NGOs involved in housing construction did not consult the local community on their specific needs before commencing work. Local employment guarantees were not adhered with the contractors bringing in cheap labour from other States.

"There is no accountability as far as in-situ housing goes. In the 37 locations where construction is presently going on, there is no complaint redressal mechanism. The process should be made totally participatory if the communities are to benefit,'' says Henri Tiphagne of People's Watch.

Another study

Another study, `Tsunami: the Hit and the Affected', done by People's Watch, on the exclusion of non-ocean fishing communities from relief and rehabilitation efforts, has found that 346 such communities have been completely left out.

The TRRC has also initiated a study on the funding utilisation and transparency of NGOs. involved in tsunami rehabilitation. The results of the study will be released on December 26.

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