Wayanad landslides: Kerala High Court criticises Centre, State govt on ‘lack of clarity’ in relief fund accounts

Kerala High Court criticizes Centre and state government for lack of clarity on disaster relief funds.

The Kerala High Court on Friday (December 6, 2024) criticised the Centre and the Kerala government for “lack of clarity” regarding the disaster relief and rehabilitation fund accounts in connection with the landslides that hit Wayanad in July 2024.

A Bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Mohammed Nias C.P. directed that the Finance Officer of the State Disaster Management Authority be present in person on Saturday (December 7, 2024) to present the accounts.

The court also posed several queries, including how much funds were required for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the landslides-hit areas of Wayanad and the amount of financial assistance to be provided by the Centre, to which it wanted answers.

The queries also included how much amount was there in the relief fund before the disaster, how much was available for use out of it and what portion of the amount allocated by the Centre was utilised.

The Bench said once these queries are addressed, it would issue further directions.

The queries from the court came during a hearing of a plea initiated by it for prevention and management of natural disasters in the state in the wake of the landslides that devastated three villages in Wayanad district.

Two weeks ago, the Centre had told the court that a high-level committee had approved an assistance of around ₹153 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) towards the Wayanad landslide disaster related relief efforts.