Wayanad rehabilitation: Kerala HC asks state govt to come clean on SDRF expenditure

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Saturday slammed the state government for failing to clarify the exact expenditure from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for the Wayanad rehabilitation project.

Despite the financial officer appearing in person to explain the utilisation of the SDRF in relation to the Wayanad rehabilitation project, the court noted that the responses were inadequate.

The Division Bench also questioned how the central government could release funds without precise data. It also urged an end to the blame game between the Centre and the state over the rehabilitation.

In response to the High Court’s query about the balance in the SDRF, the state government stated that Rs 677 crore remained.

It informed the court that the central government had contributed Rs 291 crore in two instalments, with an additional Rs 97 crore as the state’s share. Of this, Rs 95 crore had been spent on disaster management activities, including those in Wayanad. The remaining Rs 677 crore was yet to be allocated. However, the government failed to specify how much of this amount would be used for the Wayanad rehabilitation.

The state government assured the court that the required details would be submitted by December 12, and the case was adjourned to the same date.