Sufferers of May 1 earthquake that hit the three districts of Chenab Valley namely Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban will not receive special relief package for which the State Government had approached the centre. New Delhi has formally informed the State Government that owing to paucity of funds it cannot grant sanction to State’s demand of 607.7 crore rupees as relief package to the quake hit families. This is in spite of the fact that the State Government had submitted detailed list of damages caused to thousands of houses as a result of the earthquake.
The advice of the Planning Commission that the State can utilize the funds provided to it under three different central sponsored programmes is confusing. These are Indira Awas Yojana (IAY), roads under Prime Minister’s Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and schools under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). But the contention of the State Government is that all these three Centrally Sponsored Schemes were already in operation across the State and have very limited scope of providing compensation to damages happened on such a vast scale. The State has very meager funds available under State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) head and out of it 25 crore rupees have already been released for relief works in the affected areas. Evidently, the State Government is unable to meet the huge expenditures to be incurred on providing relief package to the quake sufferers and the Central Government has expressed its inability to meet the expenditure. As such thousands of people whose houses have suffered total, major or minor damages have to fend for themselves and the state cannot do much for them. This appears the first case of its kind in which relief package has been denied. The area where large-scale damages have happened is mountainous and in next couple of months winter season will set in and with that the suffering of the people will increase manifold. Roads remain damaged and cut off causing serious disruption of communication.
There is a norm set forth for the level of aid given to people whose houses are damaged by the earthquake. Under the SDRF, there is provision of only Rs 35,000 worth compensation for fully damaged pucca house and Rs 15,000 for fully damaged kucha houses, Rs 6300 for severely damaged pucca house and Rs 3200 for severely damaged kucha house, Rs 1900 for partially damaged pucca and kucha houses and Rs 1250 for damaged cattle shed. Government structures have also been damaged extensively. State Government has prepared detailed district-wise list of damaged properties and categorized them in the light of the criterion set forth for sanctioning of relief. The Planning Commission knows fully that even if the funds sanctioned under the three above-mentioned schemes were diverted to the relief of the victims, it would not suffice the need. As such there seems justification for the State Government to have approached New Delhi for relief package.
Another aspect of the case is that the State Government has demanded relief package for the quake sufferers in accordance with the norms of relief package sanctioned in favour of victims of Ladakh flash flood sufferers in 2010. Although in case of Ladakh, there was much loss of life and total devastation of habitats and agricultural lands, and in comparison only two persons were killed in Kishtwar-Doda-Ramban earthquake, yet the number of houses that have been fully or partially damaged in Chenab Valley runs in thousands. As such there should be some rationale in fixing the quantum of relief package. Diverting funds from the three aforementioned centrally sponsored schemes to the item of relief for the sufferers of quake would mean that the projects already listed under the centrally sponsored schemes will have to be closed down for the present. That is again tantamount to retarding the development of the State.
We would like that the Planning Commission reviews its decision of not sanctioning funds for relief package in Kishtwar-Doda-Ramban earthquake tragedy. The State has very meager resources under disaster relief management. Thousands of families are living a miserable life in damaged huts and small houses in a vast mountainous area whose road connectivity and bridges also have suffered extensively. State Government’s means are limited and cannot do anything more for the suffering population. A humanistic view has to be taken of the case. We are hopeful that given the goodwill which the Prime Minster and the Congress Chairman have for the people of the State, and also in view of their recent visit to the affected areas, relief to the sufferers in three district will not be withheld and means will be explored to meet their requirements for survival.
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