Finding serious lapses in the Kerala Government’s implementation of the housing component in the Centrally-funded Tsunmai Rehabilitation Programme, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Tuesday said the State Government diverted funds intended for coastal protection for building houses. Though the target of providing 11,000 houses to tsunami victims was to be completed by 2009-10, the government could only construct 8,549 houses till July 2012, the CAG said in its report on General and Social Sector for the year ended March 2012.
The findings of the CAG come after a High Court directive in March 2012 asking the anti-corruption watchdog to look into the allegations that the government had diverted funds allotted by the Centre for tsunami rehabilitation schemes.
“The audit findings on the implementation of the housing component of the tsunami rehabilitation programme are in corroboration with the observations of the Honourable High Court of Kerala that there was diversion of massive funds for purposes other than anything related to tsunami-affected people or areas,” Principal Accountant General (Social and General Sector Audit), Kerala, R N Ghosh told a news conference.
“Out of the total outlay of `1,441.75 crore approved by the Government of India (GOI) for Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme (TRP), `45.54 crore was earmarked for the housing component. But the State Government intimated GOI in October 2006, a revised department-wise requirement for TRP wherein an amount of `284.08 crore out of `432.18 crore originally allotted for the component ‘Environment and Coastal Protection’ was shown as diverted to the ‘Coastal Housing and Rehabilitation Project’ (CHRP). The amount thus diverted was much larger than the amount sanctioned for the regular housing component,’’ said the CAG report.
The CAG also found anomalies in the selection of housing sites and beneficiaries. Nearly 72 out of the 228 villages selected for tsunami rehabilitation project were not even located on the sea shore. The CAG also found that `2.29 crore was utilised for re-construction of houses for fire victim families. The pattern of financial assistance to the beneficiaries was changed by the State Government from loan to grant, the report said adding that the revised list of 255 beneficiaries included 136 new persons “casting doubt on the selection process.”
It found that more than 4,000 houses costing around `100 crore were taken up for construction within 10 metres of the High Tide Level in gross violation of guidelines, thereby defeating the very purpose of the programme.