Government relief programs continue to be tied by corruption and lack of democracy while international agencies and governments are meeting to sneak in their selfish agenda. Meanwhile, the voices and concerns of those affected are do not inform the rehabilitation plans. This is a report from India.

It is almost like the Tsunami created a natural process of eviction. Thousands of fisher folk displaced from the coast are being asked to stay away from the coasts because of safety issues – this affects their ability to continue with their livelihoods. The temporary houses given by the government are inhabitable. It can't stand the heat of the sun nor the rains.

The relief amounts and materials given by the Tamil Nadu Government has not reached many victims especially women, because the relief is given only to those who are members of the fishermen co-operative society; but membership is optional and no new members have been admitted for the last 5 years; the other unorganized sector such as agriculture, construction, vendors, allied activities like fish vending transporting processing small shops in spite of existing Government orders, the losses are not being compensated, nor provision of relief to resume their livelihood.

The Unorganised Sector Workers living in the coastal areas, the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe are not treated as victims of tsunami and relief and rehabilitation as per the relevant Government Orders have not been given. Though they are also fishing communities or involved in allied activities they are not treated on par with the other fishing communities because of the caste system.

There is no transparency and little accountability of the state regarding the fund allotted, collected and disbursed. In the state assembly the government presented a statement that the Tsunami fund had 1900 crores, of which 378 crores were spent. But the Central Finance Minister presented a figure which was twice this amount. In addition, the rehabilitation assistance is given as checks by the Tamil Nadu government with the beneficiary and fisheries department officer as joint account. This has also led to corrupt practices by local officers and the bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, communities fear that the land they lived on before being forced to move will be given to hotels, resorts (non of whom have been asked to move under these concerns of safety) or aquaculture and shrimp farms – even in contravention of Supreme Court injunction. Such a process of rehabilitation would hurt the fishing communities’ ability to regain livelihood and would in fact be designed primarily to profit large businesses that can run shrimp farms, hotels, fishing trawlers and resorts.

A consortium of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and United Nations made a Needs Assessment Report on the basis of which a MOU has been signed for providing to Government of India a loan, of which $1380 lakhs is for Tamil Nadu. It is indeed unfortunate that the entire report is based on an incorrect assumption that the traditional fishing sector does not contribute much to the GDP while aquaculture is make substantial contribution. The plans for rehabilitation are being drawn up under these assumptions – naturally, the fishing communities most affected by the Tsunami will gain little from the rehabilitation plan.
Based on research by the Unorganized People’s Forum
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