KOCHI: Even as CPM leaders are accused of diverting flood relief funds through the Ernakulam Collectorate, the Permanent Lok Adalat (PLA) here has been receiving more than 300 petitions a day from people who have lost their properties and belongings in the 2018 flood.
After the Kerala High Court appointed the PLA as the appellate authority for considering the compensation claims of deluge victims, the petitions have been flooding at the authority, which is finding it hard to deal with the situation.
As of Friday, 17,901 flood relief compensation petitions have been received at the PLA. The authority started accepting the petitions from November 17, 2019. In November and December last year, 9,800 petitions were received. From January 1 to Friday, 8,101 petitions were received.
“The PLA here accepts complaints from Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Thrissur and Kottayam districts. Everyday, on average, we receive 250-300 petitions. The record rooms are filled and storing these petitions is a difficult task,” an official said. Because of the large number of petitions being filed, disposal of these has been affected. Till now, only 20 cases could be disposed of by the PLA. The maximum compensation awarded till now is Rs 1.20 lakh. Officials at the authority believe that it would at least take three-four years to dispose of all petitions.
The PLAs in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode receive a fewer number of petitions related to flood compensation.
“The petitions filed on Friday will be considered on February 23, 2021. Disposing of a petition in one sitting would not be possible. It would take at least three sittings to complete the procedure. The petitions from Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts are currently kept on hold,” he said.
Meanwhile, the shortage of staff is another cause for concern. The office which receives around 300 petitions a day has only five officials. “On most days, we come to the office at 9am and work till 8pm. Considering the number of petitions, the District Legal Service Authority has given two para-volunteers to assist us now,” an officer said.
Disposal of pleas affected
Because of the large number of petitions being filed, disposal of these has been affected. Till now, only 20 cases could be disposed of by the PLA. The maximum compensation awarded till now is C1.20 lakh.