Flood management: Congress raises CAG report to criticise Vijayan govt

: A day after a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India picked holes in the flood management of the Kerala government, the opposition Congress on Friday said the 'tragic failure' in the dam management had aggravated the impact of 2018 floods in the state and the findings of the central agency had already been pointed out by them in the Assembly.

The flood situation was made worse by those who did not know even the basics of dam management but instead of conducting a probe, the Left government tried to protect the accused, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan told reporters here.

"The government, in its reply to CAG's questions in the Assembly, admitted that the dam management had failed. However, contrary to that, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the House that there was nothing wrong with the same," he said.

Stating that he himself had sought notice for three adjournment motions on the subject in the Assembly, he also charged that the government had a role in the massive destruction of life and property of people in the floods.

The opening of all dams at a stretch without a co-ordinated reservoir management system was the cause for the aggravated impact of the deluge, he added.

Pointing out the references about the grim financial situation of the state in the CAG report, Satheesan said at a time when the state was facing such a huge debt trap, the government was trying to implement the Rs 1.24 lakh crore-worth Silver Line project.

"Where to find such a mammoth amount? The government is making a vicious attempt to impose a liability of Rs 1.24 crore on the state," he alleged.

The CAG, in its report submitted at the state assembly on Thursday, said the flood plains in the state are yet to be demarcated and the flood plain zoning law is yet to be enacted.

The authorities had failed to issue precautionary alerts or warning when the deluge had wreaked havoc in the southern state in 2018, it said in a latest report.

"The Kerala State Water Policy 2008 was not updated in accordance with the National Water Policy and lacked provisions for flood control and flood management in the state," the CAG said in the report titled "Preparedness and Response to floods in Kerala".

The CAG's Finance audit report, also tabled in the Assembly, said that the state did not achieve any of the targets fixed in the Medium Term Fiscal Plan.

"The overall debt as a percentage of GSDP for 2019-20 increased from 31.05 per cent to 32.07 per cent," it added.

The CAG also continued to criticise the state government's off-budget borrowing through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and the Kerala Social Security Pension Limited.