Tsunami housing scheme lags far behind

By Namrata Biji Ahuja

New Delhi

June 27: The rehabilitation and reconstruction work for tsunami victims in the worst-hit Andaman Nicobar Islands is in a deplorable condition. The island administration has informed the Union home ministry that out of the total 9,797 permanent houses that were suppose to be constructed for the victims of the 2004 tragedy, only 938 have been completed by May 2008. The UT administration has a Herculean task of completing the construction of as many as 9,019 houses till March 2009 to meet the scheduled deadline.

What is worse, the state has lost the peak season for construction this year, due to bad weather conditions prevailing in the island, which was March to May 2008. The UT administration, however, has told the home ministry that it will meet the March 2009 deadline set for completing such work.

Union minister of state for home Sri Prakash Jaiswal, who was on a two-day trip to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry to review the Tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction work and is expected to reach the Capital on Friday, will give a feedback on the progress to Union home minister Shivraj Patil.

The MHA has been facing criticism over the delay and alleged bungling in the funds allotted to states hit by the tsunami. A parliamentary standing committee report has documented the delay in meeting deadlines of completing projects as also funds not reaching the tsunami victims.