Delhi flood relief aid: “Such laxity is absolutely shocking,” Atishi wrote. (file)
New Delhi:
Upset at delays in processing relief aid to those affected by floods in Delhi, Revenue Minister Atishi today pulled up the Chief Secretary. She wrote to the top bureaucrat of the national capital, asking him to deploy all officers on Saturday and Sunday, so that relief aid can be transferred to flood affected on Monday.
Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar has been directed to submit a status report to the Revenue Minister and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by 6 pm on Monday.
Atishi said she, on Friday evening, reviewed the status of the Rs 10,000 relief aid to be given to flood affected citizens of Delhi with the Principal Secretary of Revenue Ashwini Kumar and the concerned officers of the Revenue Department.
“I was shocked to find that, out of 4,716 families who were staying in relief camps during the flood, only 197 families have received the 10,000 ex gratia relief of the Delhi Government,” she wrote.
She pointed out that the Chief Secretary on July 15 ordered senior officials to monitor and assist the District Administration for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation works, but even after 10 days of the cabinet decision to give Rs 10,000 as relief to affected families, “19 IAS and 18 DANICs officers – along with 6 DMs, 6ADMs and 1 SDMs – have not been able to process this relief package for a mere 4,716 families”.
“Given the number of officers deployed for flood relief and rehabilitation, each of these officers had to process the relief for 70 families. This means they had to provide relief to 7 families per day, And that too has not been done. Such laxity is absolutely shocking,” Atishi wrote, adding that she is “deeply concerned” what officers who hold crucial positions in various departments would be doing in the day-to-day tasks of their departments if they are showing such laxity in times of emergency and disaster.
The swollen Yamuna river had recently flooded several areas and key roads, displacing many families and leading to huge loss of property. Water had reached up to the Red Fort and the busy ITO intersection.
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