The Kerala High Court on Friday expressed concern over the delay by the Central government in disbursing funds from National Disaster Relief Fund and the Prime Minister Relief Fund to Kerala in the aftermath of the Wayanad landslides in the State [Suo Motu v State of Kerala & ors].
A Division Bench of Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Syam Kumar VM noted that neighboring States like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have received allocations from disaster relief funds.
"Disbursal of funds should be considered by the National disaster management authority as also by the Central government and authorities that control disbursal from PM relief funds," the Bench stated.
The observation came after Amicus Curiae Ranjith Thampan (lawyer assisting the court) had highlighted that despite severe damage and loss from the landslides, Kerala had not received any relief funds yet.
Additional Solicitor General, appearing on behalf of the Central government, sought time to respond to the suggestions made by the amicus.
Therefore, the Court directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Central government to provide a detailed response by October 18.
"Disbursal of funds to be considered by the National disaster management authority as also by the Central government and authorities that control disbursal from PM relief funds. Additional Solicitor General appearing on behalf of the central government has sought time till October 18, 2024 to respond to the suggestions made by amicus curiae in his earlier reports. We expect the response on the aspects highlighted by the said date," the Court said in its order.
The Court was hearing a suo motu case initiated by it to address disaster management and prevention in the the State in the wake of the Wayanad landslides.
The Wayanad landslides which happened in the early hours of July 30 this year had devastated the villages of Mundakkai and Chooralmala in the Wayanad district, causing 420 fatalities with over 100 missing.
During the hearing today, the Bench touched upon the issue of grievances raised by the victims of the Wayanad disaster and the redressal of the same by the authorities.
Regarding the non-payment of compensation, allowance and monthly rent, Advocate General Gopalakrishna Kurup presented a report submitted by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA) which indicated that 40 complaints were received of which 22 were resolved while 18 are still pending.
The Court was not satisfied with the lack of timely payments and stressed that simply issuing government orders does not equate to actual redressal.
It emphasised that there should be actual disbursal of money.
Therefore, it instructed the authorities to provide an updated list of grievances that have remained unresolved for more than two weeks.
The Court also batted for vigilance and monitoring committees at the State, district and local level to prevent illegal quarrying and ensure better surveillance in disaster-prone areas.
It also called for zoning regulations to be strictly enforced in areas vulnerable to landslides and floods to prevent further ecological damage.
In its order, the Court directed the State government to operationalize vigilance committees and to develop a year-round monitoring mechanism to regulate quarrying.
The Court also impleaded the KELSA member secretary as a respondent in the matter and posted the case for hearing next on October 11.