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Over four and a half years since the communal carnage in Gujarat, allegations of inadequate relief and incomplete rehabilitation continue to be leveled against the state's government. The National Commission for Minorities has also expressed concerns in this regard
The National Minorities Commission (NCM) will visit Gujarat to conduct an on-the-spot assessment on the compensation to those who lost family in the communal riots in 2002 and to survey the rehabilitation situation in the troubled state.
A four-member team from the NCM will be in the state from October 13 and 17 to investigate first-hand how the money was distributed amongst the kin of the victims or those affected by the riots, and those who have been left out.
The minorities commission is acting on complaints about irregularities in the way relief funds were spent and distributed. The NCM held its latest a meeting on the issue in New Delhi on September 7. At the meeting it heard from two complainants -- members of CSOs who had worked in Gujarat -- that more than 500 Muslim families were still forced to live away from their original place of residence after 2002 riots. They are presently staying in makeshift colonies in Gujarat, primarily in Panchmahals, Sabarkantha, Dahod, Anand and in the cities of Ahmedabad and Vadodara.
On December 14 last year, the Gujarat government informed the National Minorities Commission that it would be returning Rs 19.1 crore of the total amount of Rs 155.61 crore received from the PM's Economic Package (meant for rehabilitation and relief of the riot victims).
The NCM has expressed its displeasure with the Gujarat government for returning the money and has also found the explanation it has offered on the distribution of relief unsatisfactory. Among its other concerns are the paltry contribution of the state exchequer to the relief effort and also the official death toll offered by the state government
The total amount spent on relief and rehabilitation measures till January 31, 2005 was Rs 204.62 crore. Of this, Gujarat's contribution was only Rs. 49.01 crore or 23.95%. "As such, the central government contribution was more than three-fourths of the total expenditure".
On the compensation awarded to the families of those killed in the riots, Rs. 1.5 lakh to 1,169 cases (where the state contributed only Rs 50,000 per head) the NCM notes: "The state government team was urged to restore their per case contribution to Rs 1 lakh which should be apart from the amount received from the PM's Economic Package. This recommendation was not accepted."
In January this year the NCM had also questioned the Gujarat government on its official death toll for the 2002 riots. "On what basis was the 'death figure' of 1169 arrived at?", it asked.
Under the head 'Assistance to Industrial Units, Shops, Hotels etc (Urban)', the NCM says of the total amount sanctioned by the PM's Economic Relief Package of Rs 9.83 crore, but an expenditure of only Rs. 5.09 crore is listed. "No information regarding the utilisation of the balance amount of Rs. 4.74 crore is available".
However, Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah's reaction to the complaints is, "A package for relief for riot victims was prepared and we had put it to our High Court which had approved of it. In 2004, they were satisfied with what we gave. Now, if there are some people not satisfied with what they have got, they should approach me directly. No one has got across to me with problems on this account."
Shah also says he is unaware of the NCM's impending visit. "Only if someone approaches us with a complaint, and then we see there is some substance in it would we talk about an inquiry."
Source: www.yahoonews.com, September 29, 2006
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