KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the Centre to respond to the report of the amicus curiae that no amount has been released from the NDRF and Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) in connection with the relief for the Wayanad landslide victims.
Senior advocate Ranjith Thampan, the amicus curiae, submitted that despite the lapse of over 57 days since the disaster, the Union government has not awarded any grant or amount which the Prime Minister assured during his visit to Wayanad.
The Bench said that this is an aspect that is required to be considered by the NDRF and the authorities that control the disbursal from the PMNRF. The Assistant Solicitor General of India sought time till October 18 to respond on the aspects highlighted by the amicus curiae.
The amicus curiae reported that neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana had been allocated a significant amount from the NDRF. They were also given financial assistance from the NDRF without waiting for the final assessment of damage. However, the state of Kerala has not received any significant amount.
Meanwhile, the court directed the state government to ensure that the Vigilance and Monitoring Committees at state, district and divisional levels constituted to prevent and stop unauthorised and illegal quarrying in the state are revived. The court also observed that there should be regulation of activities such as construction of tall buildings etc., in areas of Wayanad district where landslides had occurred or are prone to landslides.
The Bench also asked the state government to produce a cost statement of the estimated amount for response and relief measures. The Advocate General submitted that the media had given a distorted version of the memorandum filed in the HC containing the estimated amount for the relief measures.