Kottayam: The state government has decided to relocate those who became homeless or whose houses were damaged in Idukki district to safer places. The government would provide them land to construct houses and contributions will be taken from the public, Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan said on Monday.
Addressing a review meeting of people's representatives and officials held at the Idukki collectorate, he said that all those who were affected by the havoc will be given compensation.
He asked the officials to assess the exact losses suffered by the people instead of mechanically taking the estimates.
"None of those who deserve financial assistance should be excluded and the undeserving should not be included in the list. The financial aid of Rs 10,000 should be given to the beneficiaries through their accounts," he said. He also asked the officials and the people's representatives to work in a coordinated manner.
Electricity Minister M.M. Mani said that the government was giving priority to reconstruction of the roads and alleviating the sufferings of the people.
"The problems of those who do not return home from the relief camps
will be solved. Health care activities will be strengthened so as
to contain the spread of communicable diseases," Mr Mani said.
Those who attended the meeting, including MPs Joice George and Binoy Viswam, and MLAs P.J. Joseph, E.S. Bijimol, S. Rajendran and Roshy Augustine, said that estimates of the losses and the list of houses which became uninhabitable should be taken speedily.
They wanted that environment should be protected while carrying out reconstruction and a clear planning was needed for rebuilding the roads and rehabilitating at least 600 families who are now staying in the rehabilitation camps.
Care should be taken to provide adequate number of engineers at the panchayat level and vehicular traffic from Cheruthony to Kattapana should be restored on an emergency basis. If needed, the services of the Army should be taken, they said.
Collector K. Jeevan Babu said that landslides had occurred in at 278 places and landslips at 1800 areas.
