The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Relief distribution raises hackles of residents

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Saturday, Dec 20, 2008
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Relief distribution raises hackles of residents

Vidya Venkat

People confused about procedure adopted to identify eligible beneficiaries

Photo: Vidya Venkat

Seeking relief: Residents of Kotturpuram and Thiruvanmiyur outside the Mylapore-Triplicane Taluk office on Friday seeking endorsement on their family cards. —

CHENNAI: Residents of Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kottur, were surprised when a bunch of men came knocking at their doors on Thursday, offering them flood relief money. The residents said they were not affected by flood last month unlike those in Kotturpuram who suffered owing to inundation.

A resident said that the men who were distributing money took Rs.500 for themselves and gave Rs.1,500 to the residents.

However, residents of Kotturpuram, who were affected by the flood, had to resort to road roko to protest the delay in flood relief distribution. On Friday, several Kotturpuram residents were seen waiting at the Mylapore-Triplicane taluk office to get an endorsement in their family cards to avail themselves of Rs.2,000 given as flood relief. Banumathi, a resident of Ellaiamman Koil Street, said, “In our street only half the residents got money.”

Collector Mythili K. Rajendran said that enumeration was still on and those who had not yet received the money would get it in the days to come. On those not affected by the flood receiving the relief, she said the “revenue officers do not go about distributing money at people’s homes. It is necessary to establish the identity of these men.”

Residents were also confused about the procedure adopted to identify eligible beneficiaries. Officials said that they identified “low-income group areas with the help of local councillors.” However, residents said that they had no prior knowledge of revenue officers or councillors visiting their areas. A Thiruvanmiyur resident D.Subramanian said that he was not at home when the revenue officials came. “Now, I am struggling to get an endorsement in my ration card to collect the relief money,” he said.

In Valasaravakkam, several residents charged the revenue officials with taking arbitrary decisions on who was eligible for relief. Valasaravakkam Municipality Chairman E.C. Sekar admitted that the names of residents who were “perceived as well-to-do” were struck off from the list.

“I have appealed to the revenue officers against discriminating between the rich and poor and distribute money to all those affected due to flooding,” he said.

Alwarthirunagar resident P.S. Srinivasan said, “the compound wall of my house collapsed and electronic gadgets were damaged. But my name has not been included in the list of beneficiaries.”

Several men and women gathered outside the municipality office demanding relief money on Friday.

Tiruvallur Collector G. Sundaramurthi said he would ensure that the list of beneficiaries is updated and all genuinely affected persons receive the relief. “Residents in Poonamallee staged a protest today demanding that the area be classified as an adjoining area to Chennai so that they too can receive Rs.2,000 instead of Rs.1,000. I have asked them to wait,” he said.

He said that resident protests were also reported in Thiruverkadu, Kaduvetti and Ponneri areas and he was aiming to complete the relief distribution work by Sunday.

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