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| Crores down the drain |
| As NDTV revisits the slums that were hit by the calamity there is a rising tide of allegations.
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| INDIA
, 25-July-2007
2:36:53 AM |
| Almost two years have passed since the deluge of July 26 in which several lives were lost and property destroyed.
But did the relief package promised by the state government reach the people who needed it most? NDTV investigates and finds that several crores may have just gone down the drain.
The flood were the worst ever in Bombay's history. In a hard-hitting report the Comptroller and Auditor General said crores may have gone down the drain.
As NDTV revisits the slums that were hit by the calamity there is a rising tide of allegations.
In Wadala's Shanti Nagar many say they signed up for relief money Rs 5000 per family but didn't receive the whole amount.
''There are six people in our family. They gave us Rs 4000 and then they made me sign and told me to go,'' said Bindu Sharma, slum resident.
It's a scenario that repeats itself in calamities across the country. The very nature of emergency relief where money has to be distributed urgently, leads to slack accounting and often the cornering of benefits by the powerful.
''Those with some contacts got up to Rs 4000. Many got just Rs 2000. The rest was pocketed by local leaders and collector's staff,'' said Shyam Maurya slum resident.
Diversion of floods
Financial management during the process of relief and rehabilitation was saddled with the case of over-drawal, diversion of funds. Even the dead were denied dignity.
Rehana Shaikh, whose husband died after rescuing children, was caught in the swirling waters in a school in Bandra. She says his name was on the state's list of casualties, but she never received the compensation the government had promised.
''We got nothing. The government said we would be compensated. His name was on the list but we still haven't received anything,'' said Rehana Shaikh, slum dweller.
The families of 22 Mumbaikars who died or were reported missing have been given 26 lakhs as compensation.
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