Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday gave seven days’ time to administrative officials to include the names of all people affected by Cyclone Amphan in the list of beneficiaries of schemes announced by the Bengal government to provide compensation and put the same up on the notice boards of respective block development offices.
The chief minister has set the deadline after complaints surfaced at an all-party meeting at Nabanna that many genuine victims had been deprived of government compensations.
“I am giving seven days’ time to include all genuine people in the list of beneficiaries. The lists have to be put up at BDO offices within the time-frame,” Mamata said after the meeting.
While a section of officials think the step would bring transparency to the entire process of delivering the cyclone compensation, another group of bureaucrats said the chief minister’s directive had shown that the government was in a spot over thousands of complaints over selection of the beneficiaries.
“I had received 2,100 complaints and I took steps on each of them. I am issuing an instruction to officials through the chief secretary to attend to each of the complaints and ensure that no genuine person is left out,” said Mamata.
On May 29, the chief minister had announced a Rs 6,800 crore compensation package for people who had suffered losses in the cyclone.
“There were several schemes for farmers, fishermen and others who suffered losses. But the majority of the complaints were coming up against the selection of beneficiaries of the scheme to repair damaged houses. Thousands of people lodged complaints that they had been deprived of the benefits,” said an official.
At the all-party meeting, Opposition parties accused Trinamul Congress-led gram panchayats of ignoring genuine beneficiaries, sources said.
“As the scheme ensures Rs 20,000 to each person whose house had been damaged, local leaders of the ruling party were pushing names of their close aides. Genuine victims are denied the money in that way,” a leader of an Opposition party said at the meeting.
Much to the discomfiture of the state government, Opposition parties have been stoking protests for weeks across the Amphan-hit districts of South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, East Midnapore, Nadia and Hooghly over irregularities related to distribution of compensation.
The string of protests has compelled district administrations to put on hold disbursement of compensation at many places to correct anomalies in the list of beneficiaries.
Mamata’s seven-day deadline is seen as a ploy to assuage discontent simmering in the rural belt.
A Trinamul insider said the chief minister did not hesitate to send a stern message to both ruling party leaders and officials that she would not tolerate any malpractice.
Sunderbans plan
The chief minister said the state government would approach the Niti Ayog to send a team to the Sunderbans to prepare a master-plan to save the delta from natural calamities.
The move was based on a decision taken at the all-party meeting.
Sources said the authorities had found that concrete embankments built with central assistance in the aftermath of Cyclone Aila in 2009 had helped save a large area during Amphan. “We want the Niti Ayog to prepare a master-plan on this line to save the region. If the Niti Ayog proposes, the Centre will be bound to release funds for the project,” said an official.
