Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday told the Kodagu district administration to release compensation to those whose houses collapsed completely, were badly and partially damaged in the recent rains and landslides, without any delay and added that the remaining houses constructed for the flood victims of 2018 and 2019 would be handed over to the beneficiaries within two months.
Addressing presspersons after chairing a meeting in Madikeri to assess the damage caused by rains and landslides in Kodagu this monsoon, he said ₹5 lakh would be given for a collapsed house, ₹3 lakh for a badly-damaged house, and ₹50,000 for a partially-damaged house. An interim relief of ₹10,000 has been handed over to all affected persons, he added.
This monsoon, two houses have collapsed completely while 15 were badly damaged and 63 are partially damaged. The owners of all these houses will get relief at the earliest, Mr. Bommai said.
“Out of 830 houses built for the flood victims of 2018 and 2019, some houses are yet to be handed over to the victims though nearly 95% of the houses have been allotted. I have told the district administration to take steps for handing over the remaining houses in two months’ time. Also, steps will also be taken to hand over about 195 houses built by the Infosys Foundation to the identified beneficiaries,” the Chief Minister told reporters.
He said he had given directions for preparing an estimate of the damage caused to roads and added that their repair and rebuilding works would be taken up on priority.
Mr Bommai said he has directed the engineers of Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) to ensure restoration of power supply in rural areas by stepping up work of replacing electric poles and transformers damaged due to heavy rains and landslides.
The Superintendent of Police, Kodagu will coordinate with NDRF personnel during rescue measures and a separate control room for airing complaints on electricity supply will be opened, he stated, while elaborating the decisions taken on rain damage at the meeting.
Provisions to affected
The Chief Minister also gave instructions to the district administration to provide provisions to the families who have taken shelter in their relatives’ houses. The families when they return to their homes from the “ganji kendras” (relief camps) would also get provisions.
Mr. Bommai said there shouldn’t be any issue in carrying out relief as each tahsildar has in their accounts a sum of ₹25 lakh and a sum of ₹50,000 has already been released to all the GPs across Kodagu for carrying out relief works locally.
Minister for Revenue R Ashok, Minister for Energy Sunil Kumar, Minister for Public Works C.C. Patil, Minister in-charge of Kodagu B.C. Nagesh, MP Pratap Simha, MLAs Appachu Ranjan, K.G. Bopaiah and others attended the meeting.
Later, Mr. Bommai visited the relief camp set up at Sri Mahaganapathi Temple in Koinadu and gave away relief cheques to the affected families. He was accompanied by Mr. Ashok, Mr. Kumar, and others.
Mr. Bommai and Mr. Ashok also spoke to the affected persons and assured all necessary help.
The Chief Minister also visited the sites of landslips and spoke to the officers concerned on the measures taken besides interacting with the former Minister M.C. Nanaiah on the rain situation.
Mr. Bommai visited Mallikarjuna Nagar in Madikeri where houses were damaged in rains. He handed over a cheque of ₹95,000 to the family of Gopala whose house was damaged.
