'Laxity' in flood relief: Atishi asks chief secy to submit status report

New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Delhi Revenue Minister Atishi has shot off a letter to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar stating "laxity" in processing flood relief aid and directed him to submit a status report to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and her by Monday 6 p.m.

In the letter, Atishi mentioned that on Friday evening, she, along with the Principal Secretary Revenue, Ashwini Kumar, and the concerned officers of the Revenue Department, reviewed the status of the financial aid of Rs 10,000, which was to be given to flood-affected citizens of Delhi. 

She was shocked to find that out of 4,716 families who were staying in relief camps during the flood, only 197 families received the Rs 10,000 aid of the Delhi Government.

"On July 15, you ordered that senior IAS and DANICS officers shall monitor and assist the District Administration for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation works, for the flood situation in Delhi. 19 IAS and 18 DANICS officers have been deputed in six flood-affected Districts. It has been 10 days since the Cabinet took the decision to give Rs 10,000 relief to families affected by floods. But in 10 days, 19 IAS and 18 DANICS officers - along with 6 DMs, 6 ADMs, and 18 SDMs - have not been able to process this relief package for a mere 4716 families," read her letter.

Atishi said each of these officers had to process the relief for 70 families. They had to provide relief to seven families per day. And that too has not been done. She said such laxity was absolutely shocking.

"All the officers deployed by you are holding crucial positions in important departments like Health, Education, Finance, PWD, Tourism, etc. If they are showing such laxity in times of emergency and disaster, I am deeply concerned about what they would be doing in the day-to-day tasks of their departments," her letter read.

Atishi has said in the letter that the Chief Secretary must ensure that all officers are deployed on Saturday and Sunday to process the relief for flood-affected persons so that the money can be transferred into their bank accounts on Monday.