Kerala HC Raps State Govt Over Lack of Clarity on Disaster Relief Funds

GG News Bureau
Kochi, 8th Dec. The Kerala High Court on Saturday reprimanded the state government for failing to provide information regarding the available spendable balance in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). This sharp rebuke came during the court’s hearing of a case related to the devastating landslide in Wayanad on July 30.

The division bench, consisting of Justices A.K. Jayashankeran Nambiar and C.P. Mohammad Niyas, raised concerns over the delay in the release of funds, questioning why the state government had not provided accurate figures when seeking assistance from the central government. The bench pointed out that precise data should be presented when requesting financial aid.

The finance officer of the SDRF appeared before the court and stated that there was ₹677 crore in the fund. However, when asked for details on how much of this could be spent, the officer failed to provide clear answers.

The bench confronted the officer, saying, “You are not sure that ₹677 crore exists in the SDRF account. This is why you have repeatedly requested immediate funding. Where did you get the figure of ₹214 crore for immediate assistance? How can we claim that no funds have been received from the central government if you cannot provide details of expenditure?”

Following the court’s stern remarks, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar criticized Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Javadekar stated that the LDF-UDF alliance had been exposed for their lies about Wayanad relief.

Javadekar further wrote, “The LDF-UDF coalition has been exposed in the High Court due to their lies about Wayanad relief. The Modi government at the Centre has provided adequate funds to Kerala through SDRF, NDRF, and regulatory packages. Further assistance will be provided. The Pinarayi government is sitting on the available funds and blaming the Centre for not receiving aid. The Centre has already provided over ₹500 crore through SDRF for the victims, and there is approximately ₹700 crore in the state’s disaster fund. The state government has failed to use the ₹700 crore in the fund. Donations for the CM Relief Fund have been collected from across the globe but are not being utilized. This is the hypocrisy of the LDF and UDF, and their false propaganda has now been exposed.”