Kerala prepares memorandum to Centre seeking more funds

PWD says ₹5,815.25 crore needed to repair roads; over 4 lakh people in relief camps

August 27, 2018 12:08 am | Updated November 28, 2021 08:24 am IST - Thiruvananthapuram

Daunting task:  A volunteer cleans a flood-hit anganwadi in Puthenvelikkara near Kochi on Sunday.

Daunting task: A volunteer cleans a flood-hit anganwadi in Puthenvelikkara near Kochi on Sunday.

After a muted Onam, Kerala woke up on Sunday to the enormity of rehabilitation and restoration of normal life devastated by the unprecedented floods in the central districts of the State.

According to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who held a review of the relief and rehabilitation work on Sunday, 4,62,456 persons are still housed in 1,435 relief camps and over three lakh houses cleaned till date. 

Apart from the physical challenge of clearing debris, cleaning flood-ravaged buildings, sanitation and medical care, the fiscal challenges of handling the post-flood reconstruction are growing, despite a massive inflow of aid to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. 

The State has already announced compensation for those affected by the flood. The Public Works Department action plan, presented to the government to restore roads and other damaged infrastructure, puts the cost at ₹5,815.25 crore over the next 18 months.

 

The Central government has released ₹600 crore as advance assistance, with another ₹562.45 crore given to the State Disaster Response Fund. The State government is preparing a memorandum for further assistance after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurance to Governor P. Sathasivam when the latter called on him on Saturday.

Mr. Vijayan also appealed on television to Keralites, both in the country and outside, to contribute a month’s salary over 10 months for the rehabilitation efforts.

With educational institutions scheduled to reopen on August 29 after an advanced Onam vacation, cleaning 700-odd schools submerged by the flood waters poses a major challenge. Most of these schools have lost vital infrastructure.

 

The task is particularly daunting in Alappuzha district, where several schools have become relief camps.

The government had asked District Collectors to consider shifting the relief camps to other buildings and if necessary rent out private premises. Relief camps in schools and colleges would be wound up and people, whose homes were waterlogged, would be shifted to marriage halls and convention centres, Finance Minister Thomas said. 

Even as the cleaning operations continued on Sunday, local bodies have been asked to identify areas for the collection of non-degradable and inorganic waste. A special purpose vehicle, Clean Kerala Company (CKC), has been formed by the government to handle this waste. 

Drinking water distribution

Soon after the review meeting, the Chief Minister, in a press note, said special attention would be given to setting up kiosks for distribution of drinking water in the flood-affected areas. 

The note also said carcasses of 3,64,000 fowls, 3,285 large animals and 14,274 small animals were disposed off as per a government advisory. 

Steps were being taken to provide food and fodder to surviving animals and over one lakh sacks of cattle feed have been distributed. With Central assistance likely to fall short, given the mammoth task of reconstruction, the Chief Minister and government officials are working to mobilise funds. While the actual requirement of funds is being worked out, experts involved in the planning process at various periods, say the State would require over ₹40,000 crore to restore development levels.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.