REFUGEE

The State government has decided to spend Rs. 12 crore immediately for improving the basic amenities in Sri Lankan Tamils refugees’ camps.

Ministers and District Collectors will visit 115 camps in the State and present their findings to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi by November 10 on the condition of the camps. On the basis of their feedback, the government will work out the modalities for the expenditure of Rs. 12 crore.

Decisions to this effect were taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Monday. Eleven Ministers and senior government officials attended.

Briefing reporters of the decisions of the meeting, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Handlooms, Textiles and Backward Classes Minister, said the Chief Minister clearly conveyed to the Ministers and the officers that the refugees should be regarded as Tamils, not as merely refugees.

Mr. Ramachandran said 73,241 persons belonging to 19,340 families were living in 115 camps in 26 districts while there were 31,802 persons of 11,288 families living outside the camps and with the approval of the authorities.

After the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government took over in May 2006, a scheme of improving the amenities of the camps was drawn up on the basis of a visit by the Ministers to the camps. The scheme, envisaging the works for Rs. 16 crore, was sent to the Central government for approval.

As the Centre’s clearance had not yet been received, the State government set apart Rs. 5 crore for 2009-2010.

The Minister denied suggestions that some refugees were being harassed in special camps. On the questions about the release of those refugees who were booked in petty cases, he assured the reporters that he would apprise the Chief Minister of this issue.

He explained how the DMK regime doubled the amount of cash doles to the refugees and other facilities/concessions given to them.

In 2005-2006, the Budget provision for the Rehablitation department was Rs. 25.78 crore whereas it was Rs. 44.62 crore in 2008. This year, a sum of Rs. 55.34 crore had been earmarked.

M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister, K. Anbazhagan, Finance Minister, Arcot N. Veeraswami, Electricity Minister, K.S. Sripathi, Chief Secretary, K. Gnanadesikan, Principal Secretary (Finance), D. Jothi Jagarajan, Public Secretary, M. Mutia Kalaivanan, Rehabililitation Commissioner and Jaffar Sait, Inspector General of Police (Intelligence), were among those who participated in the meeting.

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