Kochi: Amid the raging debate over whether flood-hit Kerala should be allowed to take foreign aid or not, ‘metro man’ E Sreedharan on Tuesday said receiving monetary aid from other countries is not something we should be proud about.
Sreedharan said the bad weather forecast was the reason for floods and there was no need to make a controversy over the centre’s aid for Kerala.
“Rs 700 crore is not a big deal as far as the central government is concerned, they can provide financial assistance of Rs 7,000 or 70,000 crore if they find it necessary. Receiving 700 crore from a foreign country is not a matter of pride for our nation” said Sreedharan.
Talking about the floods, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Chief Advisor said India’s weather forecast machinery is not accurate. “People don’t believe in our forecast system, had our weather forecast been more accurate, we could have been well prepared for it,” he said.
“Bad weather forecast and lapses by the dam safety authority are the main reasons for the disaster. If the shutters of the dams were opened earlier, the disaster could have been averted, the dam shutters were opened in the last moment only,” he added.
Sreedharan also said a completely autonomous committee should be formed for building a ‘new Kerala’ for the next five to six years.
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