Two yeas after the tsunami, rehabilitation works in Kerala brings out the true colour of some NGOs flushing out relief packages to the un-affected. The state government had initiated inquiry against some NGOs for absconding, after getting approval of construction of 300 homes. It is believed that these NGOs had collected funds from abroad, for constructing homes for tsunami victims, after obtaining the clearance from state government for rehabilitation. Spot visit in a tsunami affected village will give the exact picture of the hidden tales of rehabilitation hungamas.

Alappat, the costal village in Quilon district was the worst effected by tsunami waves in Kerala, costing 141 lives, two years ago. The headquarters of the well known saint, Mata Amritanandamayi is at this small fishermen’s village. Amritanandamayi who witnessed the demon waves at her home turf was the first person to announce the rehabilitation packages of Rs.100 crore world wide, well in advance of the government machinery.

According to the statistics of village authorities, below 200 homes were destroyed in tsunami. But now more than 3500 homes were constructed. The majority of the homes, more than 1700, were constructed by the Amritanandamayi Asram. No one is able to reveal this mystery in the economics of rehabilitation. Tehelka’s investigation reveals interesting facts. When tsunami waves settled back, there started a hue and cry on tall claims of losses. The Congress led UDF government, which was facing general election within 16 months, was in no mood to challenge those claims raised by various pressure groups. Everybody in a family separately claimed for homes and other relief packages. As usual, government lacked machinery for spot assessment.

The only way open to the government was the certification of calamities in plain paper, by the local Panchayat members who indiscriminately issued to all those, made application for tsunami relief, eying on vote bank, as well as monetary benefits obviously. All adult members of a family unit made claims, even those non-affected in tsunami, were sanctioned relief packages worth up to Rs.11 Lakhs, including a new home. Homes were allotted to all, who claimed, without checking the facts. There are several instances of renting out the new homes and un-authorised sale of homes. To most of them, who now got homes and hefty relief packages, tsunami was like getting lottery, says a village official.

The state government received several offers from various known and un-known NGOs, promising construction of homes. There were offers for more than 5000 homes. But the main problem was on land allotment. Government decided to acquire land and allotted to NGOs for construction of homes. The major chunk of construction was bagged by Amritanandamayi Asram. Government also set out a uniform architectural plan for homes, costing Rs.2.75 lakh per unit. Four cents of land was allotted for a home at an average rate of Rs.15000 per cent. Due to the pressure and resistance from fisher folk, some were even constructed, violating the Costal Regulation Zone Rules. The manner of allotment of construction in pro-rata basis to NGOs also created havocs. Amritanandamayi Asram and Sangh Parivar were not in good mood when Christian missionaries were allotted construction of homes in her home turf Alappat. VHP President Asok Singal made crash landing visit at Alappat and alleged the move to allot construction of homes to Christian missionaries is setting a platform for religious conversion. ‘Hindus don’t want homes constructed by Christian Missionaries. Mata Amritanandamayi will construct the entire homes,’ he roared.

Though Amritanandamayi Asram had done commendable relief work, the one-up-manship in tsunami rehabilitation by them was a headache to the state government. Initially, the Asram was allotted only 800 homes in their home turf; they bagged approval for 1650 homes. The message was clear to the government, though she said nothing officially: Mata don’t like anybody’s charity work in her home ground. According to the Asram authorities they had pumped more than Rs.200 crore worth relief, including construction of 7000 homes covering Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Sri Lanka.

Interestingly, in the previous month, Amritandamayi Asram had constructed a walkway bridge, named as ‘Amrita Sethu’, worth Rs.6 crore, inaugurated by none other than the President of India. According to Asram, this project was part of the tsunami rehabilitation plan. None challenged it, though this huge walkway was a connecting bridge to her 18 storied multiplex Ashram and the main land, violating all construction norms, shrinking the normal flow of the river. Inauguration by the President of India became a tool for legalizing the violations. ‘I agree that it is a connecting link between our Ashram and the main land. This walkway would be helpful in evacuating the people, when a calamity occurs in future,’ argues Swami Amrita Swaroopananda, the main monk of the Asram. He too finds difficulty in answering the rationale in constructing 3000 homes in an area, where below 200 homes only were destroyed fully and partially.

Apart from Housing scam, the then state government issued a notification, declaring nearly 100 coastal villages as tsunami affected, while only 20 villages were faced the real calamities. While eying on the vote bank, this hype in figures was a clear attempt to tap the assistance of Union Government funds for disaster management.

According to the Revenue Minister K.P.Rajendran, who initiated inquiry against the absconding NGOs from construction of homes, the fault is with the previous government, which did not made any contract with the organisations, volunteered ‘charity’. ‘Frankly speaking, no records to fix anybody. We are trying to spot out the black sheep,’ he says.

The recent CAG’s Report tries to explain its assessment on tsunami rehabilitation in an ambiguous way: ‘The basic data relied upon for estimating the losses were not available in the Disaster Management Department or in the test checked offices. The projection of Rs.2371.03 crore for relief and rehabilitation was therefore adhoc, inflated and arbitrary’.

Yes. The village official was right: ‘tsunami became a lottery to those un-affected’.