‘Won’t vote unless we get aid’ — Hyderabad residents on KCR’s flood relief ‘mismanagement’

Thousands of residents are awaiting flood relief even after a month of the CM’s promise of Rs 10,000 aid. Govt claims over Rs 650 crore has been disbursed.

Flood-affected families queue up to apply at a MeeSeva centre in Khairtabad area in Hyderabad on 18 November 2020 | ANI

Hyderabad: The Telangana government’s distribution of flood relief to affected families has plunged into a major crisis, marked by protests, allegations of corruption, and even a death.

In the midst of all these, the Telangana State Election Commission Wednesday issued orders to put on hold the distribution, citing model code of conduct ahead of the elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) scheduled on 1 December.

The distribution will remain on hold until 4 December when the results will be announced. 

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had promised an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 to flood-hit families in Hyderabad after the city was ravaged by floods in mid-October. 

But even after over a month, thousands are still awaiting their flood relief. Until last month, the government was distributing flood aid door-to-door, but stopped it on 30 October after residents alleged discrepancies in their disbursal.

The government then asked flood victims to register themselves at the nearest ‘MeeSeva’ centres (helpline centres run by the government) to receive the relief amount.

Following this, people have been queuing up outside most of these standalone, small and cramped centres. In the last four days, at least 300 people were waiting outside the centres, without maintaining any social distance, jostling to get inside to register.

Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao told ThePrint the state government has already helped more than 6 lakh people by dolling out over Rs 650 crore, and added that “there are minor lapses but those will be rectified”.

But residents have said the government has favoured only some people and ignored the rest. They also said many people are yet to get the flood relief amount.

The opposition parties had alleged that the ruling TRS leaders are using the flood relief as a chance to bribe the voters ahead of GHMC elections.

ThePrint reached Principal Secretary, Urban Development, Arvind Kumar and GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar through repeated phone calls, but there was no response till the time of publishing this report.

‘I lost my furniture, this Rs 10,000 was a slight hope’

Outside the ‘MeeSeva’ centres, residents voiced anger against the KCR government for mismanaging the distribution of flood relief.

“I have been here since 8 am with my 3-year-old toddler and I did not even get a drop of water. I stay in Krishnanagar area and none of the residents in my lane got any relief. The residents in nearby areas got some aid. The officials asked us to talk to our local leader, why should we do all this? This is what we get for adoring the chief minister… We will not vote unless we get this amount,” said a teary-eyed Varalakshmi P., who was waiting outside the Ramnagar ‘MeeSeva’ centre Tuesday. 

She was waiting along with at least 250 others in the queue. 

Suresh Kumar, 48, who stays near Harinagar Community Hall, said the government officials rejected his application, saying that his wife was already given the relief amount. But it was later found out that the amount was handed over to someone else on his wife’s name.

“I was asked to go to the GHMC office and submit my application and when I asked them to help me, they yelled at me and asked me to leave the premises. Where will we go now for these meagre Rs 10,000? I lost my furniture, my children lost their books, this Rs 10,000 was just a slight hope,” said a visibly agitated Kumar. 

Meanwhile, a 55-year old woman died Wednesday while waiting in a queue outside a ‘MeeSeva’ centre in Tolichowki. The Golconda police said the woman was suffering from heart ailments and could have collapsed due to it. 

‘Being made to roam around these centres like a fool’

The record rainfall on the night of 13 October and incessant downpour in the following days had left several areas in Hyderabad submerged. 

About 33 people had died within the Greater Hyderabad limits and surrounding municipalities. At least 144 colonies were inundated, about 50,000 houses damaged, and thousands had to be shifted to relief camps.

During the government’s door-to-door disbursal of funds, several residents had alleged that TRS leaders were favouring a few people/families and ignoring the rest. A few others also alleged they were paid only half the amount and asked to give an acknowledgement, saying the full amount has been received. 

“They have given it to a few people, but what about us? I am standing here for the last two days. I work as a sales woman and I applied for leave. Are we mad? Do you think we are lying? I lost more than Rs 30,000 during the floods. I was hoping I will get some relief but even after a month, I am being made to roam around these centres like a fool,” said Sujatha Prasanna, who was part of the 500-odd people waiting at Domalguda ‘MeeSeva’ centre Tuesday.

Residents have also alleged that only house owners/landlords have been given the flood relief aid, while the tenants were being left out.

“I have come across cases where people who stay at the first floor or third floor and not in the city and were not impacted by the floods had applied and got the flood aid amount. There are cases where the area was not flooded but the residents applied and got the relief aid. Genuine cases are taking a hit…,” civic issues activist Harish Daga told ThePrint.   

‘Flood victims are being made to stand on roads like beggars’

In the Greater Hyderabad limits, there are about 25 lakh households, but the government hasn’t revealed yet how many families were affected by the floods.

Last month, residents from several areas took to the streets to protest against the delay and discrepancies in distributing the flood aid. Several citizens squatted on busy roads and stopped traffic in Chaderghat, Amberpet and Karmanghat, among other areas. 

One of the protesters even tried to burn himself during a protest in Amberpet, outside a local TRS MLA’s house. 

The issue also kicked up a political controversy, with the opposition Congress and BJP accusing the CM of “acting without any humanity” and alleged that local TRS leaders are pocketing the flood relief amount.

“The chief minister and minister KTR (K.T. Rama Rao, CM’s son and municipal minister) are acting without any humanity. Flood victims are being made to stand on roads like beggars for a mere Rs 10,000 and all this amidst Covid protocols. The condition has come to such that one of them even died. Why can’t the money be deposited in banks? What are the officials doing? These are all petty politics by the ruling party,” Telangana Congress leader Dasoju Sravan said in a statement Wednesday. 

The BJP had alleged that money is being mismanaged by local TRS leaders, who were pocketing a part of the flood relief amount. 

At various localities in the city, local BJP leaders alleged that genuine flood victims were being left out and those unaffected and close to TRS were being handed out the compensation.

K.T. Rama Rao, however, told ThePrint the queues outside the ‘MeeSeva’ centres show that people “have confidence in the government and that promises will be kept”.

“We have already helped more than 6 lakh people by dolling out over Rs 650 crore. Has Delhi (central government) given us one rupee till now? It is easy to talk but what have they done for the city?” he said.

The minister lashed out at the central government for not providing the flood aid amount to the state yet and said the Centre has promptly responded to similar crises in Karnataka and Gujarat, but ignored Telangana.