The Trinamul Congress (TMC) strongly opposed the Disaster Management Amendment Bill passed in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, criticising its lack of scrutiny and centralisation of funds. The TMC had demanded it be sent to the Committee on Home Affairs for review.
Taking to X, hours before the Bill was passed through voice vote, Leader of TMC parliamentary party in Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien slammed the NDA-led Central for bulldozing legislations without due consultation. “Disaster Management Bill in Parliament today. FEDERALISM MURDERED. From where is Govt deriving authority to enact Bill? Entry 23 of concurrent list does NOT include disaster mgmt. Govt bulldozing legislation. Only 1 out of 10 Bills go for consultations. Bill MUST go for scrutiny,” he posted on X.
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While introducing the Bill in Lok Sabha last year the minister for state of home affairs stated that the Bill is derived from Entry 23 of the concurrent list. Trinamul Congress said that the Union and Concurrent Lists under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution do not include entries related to disaster management.
“Entry 23 pertains to social security, social insurance, employment, and unemployment. Disaster management does not fall under the ambit of this entry. Where does the government derive the authority to enact this legislation,” asked Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee, while leading the TMC charge on the floor of the House. He also added that the Bill should have undergone “pre-legislative consultation and thorough committee scrutiny” as it impacts crores of Indians.
“A major concern of the Disaster Management Act has been the excessive centralisation especially on the matter of funds. Severity of the disaster is not a criteria for the prompt dispersal of funds. The Bill also fails to mention this. Our past experience has shown that you cannot strengthen authorities without necessary financial revolution. States are constantly left on the mercy of the central government,” he added.
Elaborating on the lack of assistance provided by the Centre during the cyclones and disasters in West Bengal in the past, Mr Banerjee said: “After Cyclone Bulbul in 2019, the Bengal government requested nearly Rs 7,500 crore from the NDRF but received only 13 per cent of the funds. Then, Cyclone Amphan struck, causing 354 deaths, 24,000 livestock losses, and damaging over 5.6 lakh houses. Yet, we received just 6 per cent of the requested aid. For Cyclone Yaas, which severely affected 18 of our 23 districts, not a single rupee was disbursed by the NDRF.”
Targeting the Bill’s move to introduce multiple stakeholders, the Trinamul Congress MP cited the man-made floods triggered by the Damodar Valley Corporation in Bengal last year. “The floods in 2024 have been the worst caused by the DVC’s release of water since 2009. Around 5 million people across 1,000 sq kilometres were affected. This happened just before Durga Puja. Why were you trying to drown the people of Bengal? Why did the Union government unilaterally release such huge volumes of water without consulting the state government concerned? This is not cooperative federalism. It’s clear that when disasters strike, creating multiple authorities will only make coordination harder. This will delay response efforts and ultimately put people at risk,” said Mr Banerjee.
