The Kerala High Court, on Friday, January 10, stated that the Union government has agreed to free up Rs 120 crore of arrears that was owed by the state to the Union government. The Union said that the amount can be used for rehabilitation in landslide-hit Wayanad. According to a LiveLaw report, the Kerala state government owed the money towards airlifting services that were provided by the Union government in 2006, 2016 and 2017. A division bench of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Easwaran S was hearing a suo motu case to monitor the rehabilitation measures in Wayanad.
The state had a total of Rs 782.99 crores available in its State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which could not be utilised due to debt owed to the Union government. The court had then asked the Union government to consider relaxing the SDRF and NDRF rules, in the aftermath of the landslides.
Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan had informed the court that the Union government, in a letter to the state, has said that the funds can be utilised for immediate use for undertaking rehabilitating measures. “...the Central Government essentially accepts the proposal that was mooted by us in our previous order and has agreed to the freeing up of the amount of Rs 120 crore for immediate use of the State government in connection with the ongoing rehabilitation proceedings at Wayanad. The said amount can be used in relaxation of the SDRF/NDRF norms of the Union Government," the court ordered.
The case has been adjourned for further hearing on January 16.