Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Tuesday announced that the solatium to the kin of the 17 people who were killed in a wall collapse in Nadur on Monday will be increased from ₹4 lakh each to ₹10 lakh each. Besides, houses will be built for them by the government, he added.
Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and others, he visited the village in Mettupalayam taluk on Tuesday and handed over the ₹4 lakh solatium announced earlier to the victims’ kin.
Addressing mediapersons, he said an additional ₹6 lakh will be provided to the relatives of each victim from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund. The State government will also provide them employment “commensurate with their qualification”.
The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) will rebuild the damaged houses and also build new houses to accommodate those living in unsafe conditions in the vicinity. “Many of the houses in this area remain tiled-roof houses,” he said. In response to a question on the number of houses that will be built, Mr. Palaniswami said that will be in accordance with the target set by the State government for TNSCB each year.
When asked whether the compound wall that collapsed was a ‘wall of discrimination’, Mr. Palaniswami said the investigation was on, and one person had been arrested earlier in the day. “This matter can be approached only in a legal manner,” he said. Mr. Palaniswami also condemned the comments made by DMK president M.K. Stalin regarding the incident. “There is a limit to politicising an issue,” he said.
