Telangana Congress chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that the government distributed cash and did not prepare a list of affected people to provide them relief by issuing cheques.
The Telangana Congress chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday demanded a high-level probe into the distribution of cash as flood relief in Greater Hyderabad by the Telangana government alleging a scam. Stating that large scale irregularities were committed in the distribution of flood relief, he urged Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to order an inquiry.
Reddy, who is also a Member of Parliament, spoke to the Governor over the phone and brought to her notice the irregularities committed in the distribution of financial aid among people affected by the recent heavy rains and floods in the state capital.
The Congress leader alleged that the leaders of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) "looted" crores of rupees meant for the flood victims, and distributed it among its cadres in view of the ensuing elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Reddy said to facilitate distribution of cash among TRS leaders and workers, the government released cash instead of issuing cheques.
The government on October 19 issued an order sanctioning Rs 550 crore towards the distribution of flood relief. A whopping Rs 387 crore was released in cash which is unprecedented, the MP said.
He pointed out that after any natural disaster, the government prepares a list of affected people and provides them relief by issuing cheques. Reddy said the TRS government, through its cadres, distributed Rs 10,000 in cash. He claimed that the money has not reached many victims as it was diverted to the ruling party functionaries. He said the process should have been conducted in a transparent manner.
He also demanded that the government provide at least Rs 50,000 to every affected family by issuing cheques. He sought Rs 5 lakh compensation for the fully damaged houses and Rs 2.50 lakh for partially damaged houses.
The Telangana government had briefly stopped the distribution of cash aid after allegations of corruption and favouritism surfaced. The distribution was resumed after Hyderabad witnessed protests by thousands of flood-affected families.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on Friday reviewed the distribution of flood relief at a meeting with top officials. He also reviewed the special sanitation drive taken up in Hyderabad. He said around 52,000 metric tonnes of garbage were accumulated in Hyderabad following floods.
As many as 960 teams were formed and an intensive drive has been taken up to lift the garbage. Cleaning of garbage points, removal of construction and demolition waste, spraying of disinfectants are being taken up in all the localities as part of this drive. The Chief Secretary also reviewed the functioning of Basthi Dawakhanas in GHMC limits.