Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 25: A visiting Parliamentary Panel today said the compensation granted to flood victims of last year is totally unacceptable and inadequate.
Addressing a press conference here this evening, Ashwani Kumar, head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests said: “We are of the view that the compensation and relief granted so far is totally unacceptable. They are inadequate and insufficient.”
Kumar said that the existing relief and rehabilitation norms are insufficient and urged the Centre to provide liberal financial assistance to the flood victims of last year. He said that Centre should provide financial assistance to the State as per the plan submitted by it. “The State Government informed the panel that it has done best within the resources but a lot more requires to be done”, he said.
Kumar said the State Government is facing dearth of funds for compensating the shopkeepers hit by the floods. “I have been informed that the Government requires Rs 250 crore for rehabilitation of 25000 shopkeepers but there are only Rs 130 crore with the State Government,” he said.
The head of the panel said that the compensation provided to the families whose houses were damaged by the floods is too meager. He asked the Centre to provide soft loans to 75000 flood-hit shopkeepers to bring back the economy of Kashmir on the track.
Kumar said that the State which has unique geographical and political position, needs a massive financial dose from the Centre. “The sooner it happens, better it will be,” he said.
The MP said the panel will recommend to Centre to grant liberal financial assistance to the flood victims. “We would submit our report to Centre Government as well as the Prime Minister,” he said.
Kumar said they would suggest a mechanism in their report to prevent recurrence of floods in the State. “While Rs 22000 crore proposal submitted by the State Government for constructing an alternate flood channel is a long term measure, but all short-term initiatives should be taken urgently to avoid 2014 -like situation, “he said.
The Panel slammed JK Government for lack of political and administrative will to curb Master Plan violations and environmental degradation. “There are certain critical areas of governance in which the question is not about the lack of resources but the question is about lack of political and administrative will,” he said.
Kumar said the panel noted that there have been violations of the Srinagar Master Plan and pollution of water bodies. “The Srinagar Master Plan has not been compiled at all. Haphazard constructions are the order of the day. The pollution of water bodies including Dal, Wular and Nagin is continuing unabated,” he said.
The Panel said deforestation and encroachment of forestland are major challenges for the State. “We were told that 13300 hectares of forestland have been encroached in the State, “he said. The Panel asked the State Government to submit an action plan within a week’s time for preventing further encroachments.
The 16 member Parliamentary Standing Committee arrived in Srinagar yesterday. The Committee is on a six day study visit of the State.
The Committee interacted with various NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, and State Government authorities besides other stakeholders on a variety of topics including damages caused by the devastating floods, rehabilitation of flood victims and afforestation.
The Committee conducted an extensive tour of many of the areas affected by the September 2014 floods, and reviewed the relief and rehabilitation work carried out so far in a meeting with senior State Government officials.
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