Gopika IS By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as relief material collection gains momentum, concern remains about whether it will reach the people in need. Netizens on social media and people donating relief materials at collection centres demanded a single transparent channel. In the months after the last flood, people were shocked to find relief materials hoarded in some godowns. Unscrupulous elements had rerouted the relief materials and misused them. The unsuspecting donors and victims moved on. This time around, such concerns had allegedly contributed to the initial lull in the relief material contribution. Rajesh R V, former state youth commission chairperson, said, “A transparent channel of relief material distribution is necessary. Take the case of medicines that are sent aplenty. It should be distributed with the help of the health department, else the contribution is useless. Last year, we had sent the medicines to the health department which they used well and the rest were used in the hospitals. If such a system is not in place, it will lead to materials getting wasted. Last year also, there was excess of many items in some places and while in others it was insufficient. Even though government says that individuals or organisations shall not distribute items on their own, it is just a verbal statement. Only if the government has a foolproof system, will the distribution happen effectively.” The victims also voice the same concerns. Satheesh Parannoor, a patron of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Protection Committee (PSS) is a Kozhikode resident and a victim of the flood. He was very active with the relief material collection last year. “It is a fact that relief material collection is slow. Last time around, relief materials were misused. This is also a fact which we, who work on the ground, are aware of. Raids on some godowns will bring out more relief materials hoarded off from the last flood. The government does not have a mechanism to ensure proper distribution of relief materials. There should be a monitoring committee in place and there should be members of the public in it, be it representatives of NGOs or local leaders. Its should not be a committee of elected representatives and officials alone.” he said. “Last year, there were instances where the deserving did not have access to relief materials. A single transparent channel of distribution is necessary so that people with vested interests do not interfere,” he added. Water has receded in his region. A few people from the camp he is in are now leaving. However, a few stayed back, wary of the weather. They are also bracing for the next big challenge of cleaning up their houses and picking up pieces of their shattered lives. Previous blues Netizens on social media and people donating relief materials at collection centres demanded a single transparent channel Such concerns had allegedly dampened relief contribution initially

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