Neethu Baby is a 15-year-old girl orphaned by the killer tsunami exactly three years ago. Her mother Prabhavati who was her sole refuge was among the over 170 people who lost their lives at Alappad in Kollam district and Arattupuzha in Alappuzha.

However, the state government stepped in to help the Class  X student by promising to build a house for her outside the tsunami-affected areas and also take care of her education. It did distribute Rs 1 lakh to her as relief which she can withdraw only on reaching 18 years of age.

Three years after the tragedy, the government’s promises remain unfulfilled despite the government order (GO) that was issued. She has neither received the promised land and the house nor the educational assistance. Neethu now lives in the care of her mother’s sister Prakasini whose son is a construction worker.

There are several others like Neethu who can speak only about the failed promises of the Government of Kerala on the tsunami relief front and slow pace of rehabilitation. “It is amazing that the tsunami attracted crores of rupees in relief from all over the world and yet here we are still languishing in relief camps,’’ says Ramabhadran who has been living in a relief shelter in Alappad.

There are about 42 families lodged in several relief camps in Alappad as the promised houses by some NGOs have not yet been built. The promised debt relief nor the writing-off of loans of the affected people is yet to materialised.

Revenue Minister K P Rajendran says administrative function has been accorded to special packages for Alappad and Arattupuzha. “We plan to complete all the promised projects by March 2009,’’ said Rajendran after attending a commemorative function at Alappad.

Officials say that out of the 2,909 houses planned in the first phase of rehabilitation by government and NGOs, 2,790 houses have been completed and handed over to beneficiaries.