The District Development Council (DDC), which met here on Saturday, called upon the State government to provide special financial assistance to the district to meet the expenses for rectifying the damage caused by a thunderstorm that struck the city and many parts of the district on April 20. Five persons lost their lives and one person has gone missing in the calamity.
The meeting noted that the electricity network in the district was devastated by the thunderstorm. A huge loss was inflicted on the agricultural sector and several houses were damaged.
The rectification work can be carried out only through a special financial assistance and the traditional damage-assessment criterion should be altered, the meeting said. Those who attended the meeting wanted the drinking water supply in parts of the district to be made more effective.
People's representatives who attended the meeting wanted authorities to provide details of the progress of the Meenad and Japan-aided drinking water projects in the district. The meeting authorised Collector P.G. Thomas to take up the issue with the authorities concerned.
More parking facilities were sought at the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation's Kollam bus depot. Kollam MLA P.K. Gurudasan said he would make an allocation of Rs.3 lakh from his local area development fund for the same. Punalur MLA K. Raju wanted two more KSRTC services on the Kollam-Kulathupuzha route. He also wanted facilities to be opened at the Aryankavu KSRTC sub-depot for issue of concession passes to students.
