SRIKAKULAM: Having set eyes on disbursing compensation to the Titli cyclone affected people in Srikakulam in a record time, the State government has cracked the whip on at least 20 officials for alleged dereliction of duties assigned to them in enumeration of loss and implementation of relief measures. About 20 officials have been suspended and show-cause notices issued to 10 others.
After facing criticism for taking almost three months to distribute compensation to Hudhud cyclone victims in 2014, the government is leaving no stone unturned to pay relief to the Titli affected people in the shortest time possible.As many as 37 senior IAS officers were deployed in the cyclone-affected mandals for effective monitoring of relief works.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and more than 10 State ministers stayed put in the district for several days to monitor relief and rehabilitation works after the severe cyclonic storm Titli left a trail of destruction. The Chief Minister had warned officials of stringent action if they showed laxity in implementation of relief and rehabilitation measures in the cyclone-affected mandals. Despite the stern warning, some officials had failed to change their lax attitude.
The cyclone affected people staged protests in several villages and gheraoed the officials against the “tardy” implementation of relief measures. Hence, the government had cracked the whip on the officials who failed to discharge their assigned duties efficiently.
A Sriram Murthy, head master of Sondipudi government high school, was suspended for his negligent attitude in discharging his assigned duties. The other officials who faced suspension, included horticulture additional director Chittibabu, Bhamini agriculture officer Chandrasekhar Rao, a housing AE, an agriculture extension officer, an MLM point in charge, several VROs, VRAs and panchayat secretaries.
The officials, however, maintained that they were facing pressure in discharging their duties efficiently as the number of complaints being received from the affected people through People First 1100 is quite high. “As the cyclone affected people pour in their woes in the form of complaints, the pressure is mounting on the ground level officials,” VROs Association district president T Venugopala Rao told TNIE. “We are rushing to the complainants’ doorstep to sort out the issues,” he said, adding that due to the heavy work pressure, several officials have started falling sick.
NGOs Association district president H Sairam strongly condemned the suspension of officials in connection cyclone relief works. “We have donated about Rs 30 crore to the CM’s Relief Fund from our salaries. We have been working round-the-clock to restore normalcy in the cyclone affected areas,’’ he claimed and demanded that the State government revoke the suspension of officials immediately.
“Dereliction of duties will be considered seriously and those who have failed to rise to the occasion will face action, considering the huge devastation caused by the severe cyclonic storm,” a district official said.
CM to distribute relief today
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will distribute relief to the victims of Titli cyclone on Monday. The Chief Minister will hand over cheques towards cyclone relief to the victims at a programme at Palasa. The distribution of aid to the affected people has been taken up in less than a month as the severe cyclonic storm Titli that hit Srikakulam district on October 11, left a trail of destruction.