CHENNAI: The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary, Vaiko, on Saturday contributed Rs.10 lakhs to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund (CMPRF) for flood relief. He accused Chief Minister Jayalalithaa of "shirking her responsibilities" to gear up the administration to provide relief to the people in the affected areas.

After handing over the cheque to the Home Secretary, Pavan Raina, who held additional charge as Chief Secretary, he told reporters here that though the MDMK came forward to contribute to the CMPRF as it wanted to cooperate with the administration in taking up relief work, the State Government authorities showed reluctance to receive the funds.

When he contacted Mr. Raina over phone around 11 a.m. and informed him of the MDMK's decision, he told him that the Chief Minister was out of station, Mr. Vaiko said. When he insisted that the Chief Secretary-in-charge could receive the amount, Mr. Raina expressed his inability to do so as he would be preoccupied. To Mr. Vaiko's suggestion that some other officer in the Secretariat could receive the amount at 12.15 p.m., as he was scheduled to leave for Madurai by air at 1.40 p.m. to visit the flood-hit areas, the Home Secretary asked for his mobile number promising to get back.

In the "absence of any response" from Mr. Raina, Mr. Vaiko said he went to the Secretariat at 11.55 a.m. to hand over the party's donation. Even as he was walking up to the Chief Secretary's chamber, he found the Home Secretary coming out of the room.

As the officer could not avoid him, he returned to the chamber and received the cheque, Mr. Vaiko said.

The Chief Minister should have returned to the State immediately to coordinate the relief operations, he said.

Alleging that relief operations in the affected areas had not been properly carried out in the State, he urged the State Government to set up panels comprising representatives of political parties and non-governmental organisations to monitor the relief work.

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