Himachal high court stays recovery of relief funds from rain disaster victims

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has stayed the state government’s move to recover relief funds distributed to disaster victims under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, bringing a major relief to affected families who were recently served recovery notices.

The high court’s intervention came after several victims from Kyaon village in Shimla’s Rampur subdivision filed petitions, arguing that they were unfairly asked to return the financial aid without being given an opportunity to present their case.

One petitioner revealed that he had received Rs 1.17 lakh as compensation, only to be later declared ineligible and ordered to return the funds within 15 days.

Controversy over PM Awas Yojana funds

The affected villagers contended that they had never formally applied for the PM Awas Yojana funds and had merely sought general relief following the disaster.

A high court bench, led by Justice Ranjan Sharma, not only stayed the recovery orders issued by the Block Development Officer (BDO) but also directed the state government to respond within four weeks.

The legal battle stems from the larger crisis that unfolded in Himachal Pradesh during the monsoon of 2023. Torrential rains triggered devastating floods, cloudbursts and landslides, resulting in the tragic loss of around 418 lives and causing damages estimated at Rs 10,000 crore.

Rampur was among the hardest-hit regions, where residents saw their homes washed away or severely damaged.

In the immediate aftermath, the Central Government disbursed Rs 360.80 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in two installments, followed by an advance of Rs 200 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) in August 2023.

Recognising the scale of destruction, an additional Rs 633.73 crore was sanctioned for rehabilitation efforts.

However, bureaucratic delays meant that by December 2024, the state had only received Rs 597.98 crore of the sanctioned amount, prompting the Himachal Pradesh government to consider approaching the Supreme Court to secure the pending funds.

Recovery notices add insult to injury

Simultaneously, the state government allocated Rs 4,500 crore from its own resources for relief and reconstruction, disbursing Rs 750 crore across affected districts.

Yet, issues in fund distribution surfaced when certain beneficiaries were later deemed ineligible for the aid they had received, leading to the controversial recovery notices that triggered the high court’s intervention.

For many victims, the situation has added insult to injury. Villagers who had already used the relief money for rebuilding their homes now face uncertainty over potential repayments.

Legal experts argue that the state’s move to recover funds, without prior hearings or thorough beneficiary verification, reflects broader systemic flaws in disaster management.

TNR