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| Sunday, 21 August 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Grievances of tsunami affected government servants (Point of view of a cross section of displaced teachers and other government servants) by W. T. J. S. Kaviratne, Ambalangoda Special Correspondent During a series of interviews a cross section of government servants on the South Coast displaced by tsunami catastrophe revealed the true nature of their plight and their day-to-day struggle for existence. This segment of society lived on highly devastated coastal villages in the south just like their neighbours and vacated their homes leaving everything they possessed except the clothes they were wearing on this fateful day. Only an insignificant number of these government servants had stayed in the welfare centres and the majority continued to live with their relatives or well-wishers, while some others rented out houses for exorbitant rates, which they soon realised unbearable with other expenses. All the tsunami affected government servants appeared to be highly critical of the lethargy and the annoying nature of bureaucracy which prevailed in every section of administration which handled tsunami relief, from bottom-up, comprising Grama Niladaris, Divisional Secretaries and District Secretaries. Government policies on the disbursement of tsunami relief for the affected were not properly implemented, they said. These administrators referred to numerous circulars and tried their utmost to prevent the affected obtaining financial support allocated by the government, these victims revealed during the interviews. They said that even though they earned a monthly salary as government servants, the tsunami could make them the poorest of the poor within half an hour. Due to the fact that the majority of the displaced government servants lived outside, and refrained from visiting welfare centres, deprived them the opportunities of registering their names in these centres. Even the NGO relief activities were centred almost around the inmates of these centres and hardly any assistance reached the displaced government servants who lived outside, they said. On comparison, the economic constraints of the tsunami affected government servants were worse than those who were living in the tents and temporary wooden houses, they said while giving details of their monthly expenditure. After the deductions for the loans taken by them plus monthly housing rents the tsunami displaced were left with no money for their survival. Referring to the gravity of their housing problem, some of those who were interviewed said, living with relations and well-wishers could not be continued forever.
His house was partly damaged and one wall completely collapsed while cracks could be seen in almost all the other walls. He had obtained one hundred and fifty thousand rupees from the Guru Setha loan scheme and a sum of another sixty thousand rupees from the Educational Co-operative Bank, about four months ago for the renovations of his ancestral house. Timber worth two hundred thousand rupees was in store. In addition to all household items, Wasantha lost the timber and about thirty thousand rupees in cash, on this fateful day of the tsunami. Since the day of the tsunami, for nearly two weeks, he and his family stayed with one of his relatives and now he has returned to his own damaged house situated at Kosgoda which is situated within 300 metres from the coastline. They had to live in constant fear, as the walls of this house might collapse at any moment, according to Wasantha. One of the Education officials attached to Ambalangoda Zonal Education Office promised to take instant action to give 12 months salary as a distress loan for all those tsunami affected teachers. He had already written several letters with Police Reports about his plight to the relevant authorities including the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, but upto date no response whatsoever was received, he further said. Just as other frustrated government servants of the area displaced by the tsunami, he also had great hopes that Bank Loans would not be deducted out of his monthly salary. He said after all deductions he was left with only Rs. 3000/- which amount was not sufficient at all for the survival of his family.
His mother died while her house washed away during the tsunami, he said. He said he was a member of the Educational Co-operative Bank and even though he had sent an application requesting for an amount of 3000 rupees, the Officials failed even to acknowledge the receipt of his letter for the past 7 months. He argued it was of no use to remain any longer as a member of such a Welfare Organisation, if it ignored to come to the rescue of its members who had become the victims of a massive disaster. Only the teachers of National Schools were provided some relief, but the affected teachers of other rural schools had been given step-motherly treatment, he said. The teachers who lived in highly devastated areas due to displacement, had to take several days of leave to attend to their numerous burning problems, but in a very inhuman manner this leave had also been deducted out of their monthly quota of leave he said. He said he had no time to go after politicians to tell his grievances. Since the tsunami he has been living in a house paying a monthly rent of 4,000 rupees, in addition to other expenses, and found it rather difficult to meet both ends. Ramya de Silva, a teacher attached to the staff of P. de S. Kularatne Vidyalaya, Ambalangoda was also among the displaced teachers. She lived in her ancestral house with her husband, two children and her mother at Kahawa which was one of the worst tsunami hit coastal villages in the Galle District. On this fateful day of tsunami she represented her school at the Annual Meeting of Teachers in Charge of School T.T.Teams, held at St. Paul's College, Bambalapitiya. Massive tidal waves more than 20 feet high had removed even the tiles of her house. Her son rescued both her daughter and the ailing mother by bringing them to the roof top, she said. After listening to the grievances of the displaced teachers, the same official attached to Ambalangoda Zonal Education Office had promised her that he would take prompt action to give priority in granting the distress loan of 12 months salary. Ramya said all the Government servants were entitled to the distress loan. Government servants not having any distress obtained the distress loan in Sri Lanka, but unfortunately those who were really in distress could not obtain it she said. The promises of the official of Ambalangoda Zonal Education Office never realized, she said. Her daughter during the tsunami was a first year University student and all her books, furniture and valuable items had been washed away and the only relief they obtained was a wooden house donated by Sewalanka Foundation, she said. She revealed that UNICEF had donated Rs. 3600 for every teacher affected by the tsunami and in order to obtain this grant the affected teachers were instructed by the Education authorities to submit relevant documents. She said she had to spend nearly Rs. 400 for photocopying but for the past 7 months she had not received that grant she said. All the teachers affected by tsunami during the interview said that special relief programmes for the benefit of tsunami displaced teachers had not been implemented so far and the traumatised teachers were further frustrated by the economic constraints and the existing bureaucracy, she said. Nimal Mendis (45) a teacher from Thotagamuwa, Hikkaduwa said, on the day of tsunami he and his family members escaped death as they ran away to a safer area during the first wave. But his house which was located within 100 metres was severely damaged. He said all his attempts to obtain a loan from Banks failed as his house was situated on the 100 metre buffer zone. Mendis could obtain neither NGO nor Government assistance in resolving his housing problem. Tsunami displaced Mendis was now living in his wife's parental residence at Boossa.
For 23 years she had been working as a midwife and as a displaced government servant she received a distress loan of Rs. 10,000 which amount the authorities initially stated was given as an allowance and would be deducted after a year. But now it had been reduced as Rs. 500 was deducted from the salary on a monthly basis, she said, she did not have a land of her own beyond 100 metres, she had to rent out a house for Rs. 4,000. She suggested to launch a special Housing Scheme for tsunami displaced government servants who lived within 100 metres or to grant Rs. 10 lakhs as a housing loan. They said they could no longer live in these ill-ventilated wooden huts with their small children. Besides they should not be victimised just because they had been living within 100 metres, for generations they said. B. T. Shriyani Gunalatha (39), a teacher on the staff of Sumana Vidyalaya, Kuleegoda had lost her newly built house with all the facilities, which was situated within 100 metres at Bandarawatta, Kahawa. Since the tsunami, her family had been living with her relations. For the last seven months she had gone from place to place, she revealed with great dismay. N. Premadasa attached to the Ambalangoda Post Office, was displaced by the tsunami and he and his two children have been living, with a relation in a far away village at Batapola. He was not granted the Rs. 5000 which he was entitled to, in accordance with the circular of the Postal Department. When Premadasa and his family were staying at Nindana Maha Vidyalaya welfare centre, a team of relief workers from an NGO called CCF visited the centre and video filmed a dance done by their children, promising that the video would be shown over foreign TV channels which could provide them some assistance. A few months later, Premadasa heard that the video having the dance of his two children was shown over a foreign TV channel, and three expatriates returned to Sri Lanka from the Middle East. They had the Cell No. of the videographer (0777-275589) and when inquired he had stated he knew nothing about the NGO. A few weeks later the local representatives of CCF visited them at Batapola and promised to give them some key money to rent out a house, which the family refused. The family believes that the local representatives of CCF had misappropriated some funds sent to them from the Headquarters of CCF.
Hemali de Silva, a clerk attached to the Divisional Secretariat of Ambalangoda said that both her parental houses were within 100 metres and her newly built house beyond 100 metres were completely destroyed and her father died too. Property worth Rs. 1.5 million rupees was destroyed, she said. Her husband who was employed in a Tourist Hotel at Hikkaduwa lost his job and at present her family was living in a rented house paying Rs. 6,000 which amount she could ill-afford, she said. Her application for a five year loan had not been approved. H. J. Syamalee de Silva is yet another clerk attached to the same office, displaced by the tsunami. Two houses with all the facilities and home appliances worth over 3.5 million rupees were destroyed by the tsunami. Her house was located in a coastal village called Randombe by Galle Road. During the first tidal wave they ran towards a hilly area in the vicinity, she said. The houses on the rocky terrain of the landside within 100 metres of Randombe were not affected by the tsunami. She said permission to construct houses in this area even within 100 metres should be given. She had also rented out a house for Rs. 6,000 per month.
Their house which was within 100 metres at Godagama ended up in rubble as a result of the tsunami. She and six members of her family at present live with one of her relations at Panwila, Hikkaduwa. Her father had passed away long before the tsunami, and she had to feed the family out of her monthly salary of Rs. 6,000, she said. Before the teaching appointment she had worked as an announcer. She was registered at the Sri Jayawardenapura University for the Post Graduate Diploma in Social Science and she had to pay Rs. 30,000 in January 2005, for that. On the fateful day of the tsunami she had lost Rs. 20,000 which was in
the house when the tidal waves hit, she said. She had lost all hopes of
following the Post Graduate Diploma. She said she could not continue her
higher education as a result of financial constraints. She appeals for
financial assistance to continue her higher education. (W. W. S. Sitara,
Delgahawatta, Patana, Hikkaduwa. Tel: 0723270630.) Waruni de Silva, a
Graduate teacher of Akurala Vidyalaya due to displacement underwent numerous
hardships in welfare centres. |
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Sumith Wasantha, a Graduate (M.Ed.) teacher attached to the tutorial
staff of Ambalangoda - P. de S. Kularatne Vidyalaya gave a detailed account
of how he and his family escaped from death during the tidal waves while
they were staying in their residence at Kosgoda. 
Sunil Shantha (40) a teacher attached to P. de S. Kularatne Vidyalaya,
Ambalangoda said his newly built house, worth nearly Eight hundred thousand
rupees and situated within 600 metres in the worst devastated area of
Telwatte was partly damaged. 
Anula De Silva (48) a midwife, whose husband and children who were away
at Payagala visiting her parents on the day of tsunami, escaped death but
seven members of the husband's family living at Kahawa died, and all their
houses, her village office and a saw-mill were completely destroyed in her
absence, she said. 
L. H. Rukmani (43), a teacher attached to Veragoda Wijayaba Vidyalaya
said her house situated at Kahawa was damaged during the tsunami. They had
to spend Rs. two hundred thousand and sixty five thousand to purchase the
land where they built the house, she said. Monthly nearly Rs. 5,000 was
being deducted for previous loans taken by her, she said. 
W. W. S. Sitara (29) is a newly appointed teacher to Ambalangoda
Devananda College under the Graduate scheme. 
