Barmer: Govt delays relief to drought-hit cattle rearers

The government is yet to provide relief to drought-affected cattle-rearers in Chauhtan tehsil here as the local administration’s drought assessment report prepared in December 2014 seems to have gone ‘missing’.

While the administration claims that the local authorities have not submitted the report, local authorities say the administration is yet to review the report and provide relief.

Meanwhile, cattle-rearers have been facing a severe water crisis in the last six months as the rains have failed. Drought is a regular phenomenon here. Every year, government provide relief to cattlerearers suffering from the drought. The affected parties expected the government to announce relief in September 2014. However, the announcement was made only in a few villages last year as the moral code of conduct for civic polls in the state was in force at that time. In the first week of November, residents appealed to Sheo MLA Manvendra Singh. Singh urged the district relief department to start the relief works in the affected areas immediately.

Taking note of Singh’s recommendations, the department started the process on November 11 and directed authorities to assess the situation, so that funds could be sanctioned for the relief works.

However, according to the district relief department, local officials have completely ignored the directions have not submitted the assessment report till date.

Chohtan SDO SR Rajawat claimed he had submitted the report in December. Contrary to Rajawat’s claim, incharge of district relief department, Nakhatdan Bareth, said following Singh’s recommendation, he had directed officials to submit the report in November.

He said they had not submitted the same, due to which the department was unable to commence relief work.