Central team visits Raigad for two days, assesses damage

A highpower different departments visited the cycloneaffected Raigad district and inspected villages and coastal areas from June 16 to 18 afternoon Most of the sixmember team had representatives of the central government who assessed the situation on ground zeroHighly placed government officials told midday that the team took a keen interest in understanding the difficulties faced by the population affected by Cyclone Nisarga which hit Raigad and nearby districts on June 3 The team spent two nights in Raigad and was to return to Delhi on Thursday but changed its plan to accommodate a visit to a village in Ratnagiri district The team will return to Delhi on FridayThe team included Ramesh Ganta joint secretary Admin and CBT NDMAMHA R B Kaul consultant Ministry of Finance Expenditure NRLK Prasad director Ministry of Power Central Electricity Authority S S Modi deputy secretary Ministry of Rural Development R P Singh Ministry of Agriculture Nagpur and Tushar Vyas executive engineer Department of Road Transport and Highway Mumbai The team was accompanied by District Collector Nidhi Choudhari who appraised them about the damages to horticulture crops coastlines school and government buildings major damages to electric poles transformers etcChoudhari said The team gave patient hearing to the affected people who lost their crops horticulture houses etc It was an extensive insightful visit for the central team We touched upon all areas of concern and will now be submitting our memorandum which will be given to the state department and upon approval the same will be sent to the central teamthey observed firsthand the losses to horticulture in RaigadChoudhari added The team visited nearly 10 affected villages across Raigad district and even visited some damaged zilla parishad schools and aanganwadis They were shocked to see the extent of damage that gusty winds of 120 km per hour could cause which was never expectedEnhance relief packagesGiving details about the compensation for the affected population Choudhari said We have disbursed R72 crore out of the R250 crore as per the preliminary assessment of losses under the NDRF norms which was later revised by the state government on special request We are expecting the balance money to come within the next few days and will be disbursing it accordinglyAditi Tatkare guardian minister of Raigad district and also the state minister told midday I got the opportunity to discuss the ground situation with the central government team and I explained that this is the first time that Maharashtra and Konkan area experienced a cyclone of this intensity which has affected the people and their source of living adverselyWhile the preliminary estimation of losses might peg them around R250 crore the actual losses might be over R600 crore and I have made a request to the central team to consider making amendments in the National Disaster Management Act NDMA compensation figures for cyclonerelated damages said TatkareShe added The state government under the NDRF norms has increased the relief of R6000 for minor damages to R15000 and the relief for major damages from R1 lakh to R150 lakhWe have also made an additional request to the state government to have two more categories for reimbursing cyclonehit people as this compensation is too less We have asked for an additional slab of R25000 and another between R50000 and R150000 which can be allotted to people after assessment of losses that may not fit in the earlier two categories The proposal is likely to be discussed in the coming cabinet and we are hoping it will be approved said TatkareWith regard to the damaged aanganwadis and zilla parishad schools Tatkare said We have requested the state government to clear a relief package to reconstruct the two so that work can begin at the earliest While the state education department has not declared the dates for reopening of schools yet we will need to make alternative arrangements so that students can continue with their studiesTatkare has also written a twopage letter to the central team asking for necessary changes within the existing compensation norms in case of disasters like cyclones and has asked for a relief package for Raigad and its nearby districtsGuardian ministers letter to central teamNisarga weakened once inland and dissipated on June 4 but not without wreaking havoc in the district As the current guidelines of NDRF and SDRF are not equipped to handle the situation such as Nisarga we need better regulations and implementations of the same in a quick and efficient manner so as to ensure the compensation and benefits awarded are justified to present GDF and World Economic Crises It is high time that we revisit the compensation part being awarded to the man in the street is just and respectful and not just for mere survival The Konkan belt of Maharashtra isknown for its horticulture viz mangoes cashew homegrown organic spices etc and are popularly known as Paras baug which the cyclone has devasted completely A special financial package owing to the losses be considered Guardian Minister Aditi Tatkare wrote in her letterCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news