Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday accused the central government of not providing any specific aid or financial assistance to the state for relief and rehabilitation work in connection with the Wayanad landslides that claimed over 200 lives.
Vijayan, at a press conference here, said that the Centre had promised to provide assistance for relief and rehabilitation work, but till date it has not given any financial aid.
He said that the state had sought Rs 219.2 crore as urgent financial assistance in addition to the Centre’s share in the SDRF, but no such aid has come till date.
The CM said that the Centre had earlier sanctioned the first installment — to the tune of Rs 145.6 crore — of its total share of Rs 291.2 crore in the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the second tranche of an equal amount has now been allowed as an advance according to a Press Information Bureau press release of October 1.
He said that this was part of a normal procedure and not a special financial assistance provided as part of the disaster relief.
“Though there was a promise to provide assistance to the state following the Wayanad disaster, no special assistance has been provided till now,” he added.
Therefore, the cabinet decided, on Thursday, to bring this matter to the attention of the Centre and request it to provide appropriate assistance as soon as possible, he told reporters.
The CM said that the cabinet also decided to give Rs 10 lakh each to the six children who lost both their parents in the Wayanad landslides and Rs 5 lakh each to the eight children who lost one of their parents in the disaster.
“The funds will be provided by the Department of Women and Child Development,” he said.
The Cabinet meeting has also decided to construct a model township at Nedumbala Estate in Meppadi Panchayat and Elstone Estate in Kalpetta Municipality, as they have been found to be most suitable for the rehabilitation of the victims of landslide disaster, he said.
He further said that the legal issues related to the acquisition of these lands were discussed with experts, including the Advocate General.
“Since it is very important to get a place early, the Cabinet has given permission to take possession of these lands under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Therefore, there will not be much delay in getting the land for rehabilitation,” he said.
The CM said the families who lost their homes and land in the calamity will be rehabilitated in the first phase and thereafter, the others whose homes are uninhabitable.
The Wayanad District Collector will publish the draft list of beneficiaries who will be included in the first and second phases of the rehabilitation, he said.
Besides these, the cabinet also decided to give a government job to Shruti, who lost her entire family in the Wayanad disaster and later, her fiance in a road accident, Vijayan said.
Along with this, the cabinet also decided to give Rs 7 lakh to the family of Kozhikode resident Arjun who died in a landslide in Shirur in Karnataka, the CM said. (PTI)
