The Uttarakhand secretariat on the busy Rajpur Road in the state capital, Dehradun, was buzzing with activity on July 9. After weeks of speculation, the much-anticipated visit from a team of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) had finally materialised.

At stake was a huge cache of soft loan from these donor agencies for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the state following the devastating flash flood and landslides on June 16 that left hundreds dead and thousands missing.

After a marathon five-hour meeting between government officials and members of the visiting team, the donor agencies agreed, much to the delight of the government, to finance the rebuilding process. While another team of experts from the World Bank and the ADB will decide on the amount to be sanctioned after visiting the affected places, the loan is expected to be between Rs 2,000 crore and Rs 3,000 crore.

Apart from this soft loan, the Uttarakhand government will also get another Rs 1,000 crore, as promised by the prime minister.

But that’s where the apprehension begins. While the inflow of rehabilitation and reconstruction money will eventually run into thousands of crore, it has brought in its wake fears of pilferage by unscrupulous elements in the bureaucracy.  

And that fear is real, for none other than the Uttarakhand chief secretary, Subhash Kumar, has admitted on record that the state will have to contend with human greed and red tape. In an interview to the Times of India, Kumar said government departments have already started raising exaggerated demands for funds, and the government has to address the issue of whether money meant for reconstruction should be left at the discretion of tehsildars and local officials.

The chief secretary’s fear is shared by most locals in the state.

“As we know, everyone loves a good disaster,” Cyril Raphael of Shri Bhuvneshwari Mahila Ashram (SBMA), an NGO, said. “The chief secretary was being brutally candid when he uttered those words and was speaking from experience, for even today those affected by last year’s landslides have not been compensated.

“There is every chance that it will be no different this time, and I fervently hope I am wrong.”

Sridhar Kandpal, a lecturer at Dehradun University, said, “When the rehabilitation process kicks off, every official from the patwari to all the way up will demand a cut.”

Govt raises bar against ‘human greed’

In a bid to prove the sceptics wrong, the government on July 1 announced setting up of the Uttarakhand reconstruction and rehabilitation authority. Chaired by the chief minister, the authority will take up the task of rehabilitation of people and reconstruction of places affected by the disaster. For transparency in utilisation of funds at the state’s disposal, the authority will also rope in the comptroller and auditor general (CAG).

“The state has seen devastation of an unprecedented scale and we can’t let corruption and red tape cause further damage. We want every penny spent in the rehabilitation and reconstruction process accounted for,” a senior government official said.

With geologists, scientists and architects on board, the authority will take into account safeguards required in rebuilding the affected area, officials said. “The tragedy was an eye-opener. While rebuilding, we will take into consideration the fragile ecology and geology of the areas. That’s why we have decided to include experts from different fields,” said an official in the chief minister’s office.

The state has also given a go-ahead for a state disaster relief force on the lines of national disaster relief force – the force will comprise four companies and will be trained by the national-level force.

The reconstruction money will also be utilised in setting up a weather prediction centre and state-of-the-art communication system, officials said. The disaster on June 16 had caught the state by surprise with no advance warning of the incessant rain and cloud burst, which triggered the flash floods and landslides. Besides, the district magistrates of disaster-prone areas will be handed satellite phones so that they get advance warning.

There will also be efforts to build community-based first responder system so that in the case of a similar tragedy, someone from the local community reaches the affected people even before administration’s help gets there.  

The government is also mulling to regulate tourist/pilgrim traffic to the four pilgrimages (char dham), Virendra Singh, an official in the chief minister’s office, said. “Pilgrims will be registered at the base stations and given a slip (for the char dham yatra) on the lines of Amaranth yatra,” he said.

Another official said, “The tragedy has shaken the ground beneath our feet. We are trying to turn this tragedy into an opportunity by turning a new leaf.”
Backing the government’s efforts, Neha Chaturvedi of the NGO AADHAR, involved in rehabilitation work in Uttarakhand, said the state has taken the first step towards rebuilding the state with a new vision. “The inclusion of experts in the reconstruction and rehabilitation authority is indeed a welcome sign,” she said. “I hope they are sincere in giving the state a new direction.

“The government better be serious in its efforts, for it’s now or never.”