CM Kumaraswamy promises to set up Kodagu Reconstruction Authority
Discussion with affected people
Madikeri, October 17: Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday assured of taking necessary steps to constitute ‘Kodagu Reconstruction Authority’ to rehabilitate the affected people and reconstruct the entire district which was devastated in the natural disaster.
Participating in a discussion programme with the affected people, at Gandhi Maidan here, the CM said that the government was with the affected people. It was the duty and responsibility of the Coalition government to instill confidence among affected people and ensure permanent solution to their problem besides reconstructing the entire district. The government has already taken steps in this regard. The district minister and elected representatives from the district have demanded setting up of an Authority to reconstruct the damaged areas. Necessary steps would be taken to set up the authority, he said.
The MLAs of the district have appealed to construct houses at Rs 10 lakh each. Already, the government has disbursed Rs 1.03 lakh to each of the family which lost its house. Along with it, Rs 50,000 was being given for materials damage. Since it would take minimum seven to eight months to construct houses for those who lost houses, the government has decided to give Rs 10,000 per month for next ten months. Along with this, the government would spend Rs 6 lakh for construction of a house. Total, Rs 8.53 lakh would be spent for rehabilitating the affected people, he clarified.
Rs 50k to be credited to account
In order to respond to the problems of the affected people on humanitarian ground by keeping aside the NDRF norms, the government has decided to give Rs 50,000 immediate compensation to each of the affected family, for which Rs 6 crore was already released. The amount would be credited to the accounts of the beneficiaries in a couple of days. Now the government would spend Rs 6 lakh for constructing a house and if the beneficiaries came forward to construct the houses on their own along with their amount, they would be allowed to do it. There was no need to be panic. The government was committed to provide security to the family, he said appreciated the efforts of the elected representatives and officials of the district in handling the situation during natural disaster in the district.
Help through loan waiver scheme
Coffee growers and farmers have suffered a lot due to floods and natural disaster in the district. As per the NDRF norms, Rs 17,000 compensation could be given for each hectare. Was it possible to build the life in that amount? Now, the government has planned to extend the loan waiver scheme benefits to the coffee growers and farmers, he promised.
Banks are non-cooperative
If the nationalized banks cooperated with the government, the farmers would have benefitted with the loan waiver scheme. But though the heads of nationalized banks were asked to furnish the details of farm loans two months before, they have not provided the details. The banks have just been doing the work of serving notices. The Cabinet has approved the waiver of loan up to Rs 2 lakh. Even then, the nationalized banks were not cooperating with the government, he said.
Though the people of Kodagu were under distress, unlike other places, the farmers in the district have not taken extreme steps of committing suicide. He would oversee every rehabilitation work. He would also support the revival of tourism and hotel industry in the district, he said and appealed the people to celebrate the Dasara festival forgetting all bad incidents.
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Bengal: On way to PM's rally, 3 mowed down by train amid dense fog
Kolkata (PTI): Three persons died and three others were injured after being hit by a train amid dense fog on Saturday, while travelling to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Taherpur in West Bengal's Nadia district, a senior official said.
The incident occurred between Taherpur and Badkulla railway stations under the Sealdah-Krishnanagar section of Eastern Railway, he said.
Modi, whose helicopter could not land at Taherpur due to dense fog and low visibility, condoled the death of the “BJP workers” in his virtual address from Kolkata airport.
“I have come to know that some BJP workers, while travelling to the rally, lost their lives in a rail accident. My condolences are with the families of those who have lost their loved ones, and I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said.
The Eastern Railway official told PTI that the incident occurred in the morning when these people, who were travelling by a bus, had stopped the vehicle and walked to the railway tracks to answer nature's call.
"While three persons died on the spot, two others with injuries were admitted to a local hospital," he said.
Another person with minor injuries was released after having been administered first aid, the official said.
The deceased have been identified as Ramprasad Ghosh (74), Shaktipada Sutradhar (55) and Gopinath Das (38).
Meanwhile, Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress MP from Krishnanagar constituency in Nadia district, alleged that the BJP ignored the incident and went ahead with the rally.
"Terrible tragedy hushed up at altar of @narendramodi ego. @BJP4India supporters brought from far Murshidabad for PM rally in Ranaghat today," she said in a post on X.
"4 went to answer nature's call and were killed by 31814 down local train near Taherpur. BJP ignored, blacked out & went ahead with rally," Moitra claimed.
Reacting to her remarks, the West Bengal BJP, in a post on X, asserted that the TMC "has always been adept at milking tragedies", and was being "disrespectful to the unfortunate victims of this tragedy".
The TMC alleged that BJP leaders have not shown "neither concern nor compassion" over the mishap.
"The loss of three lives in Taherpur should have united everyone in grief. But @BJP4India leaders showed neither concern nor compassion," it said in another post on X.
"At this painful moment, Smt @MamataOfficial and Shri @abhishekaitc put humanity above party lines and stood beside the families of the deceased," the party said.
TMC’s on-ground leaders promptly reached out to the grieving family members, ensuring them of help and assistance, it said.
"While Delhi’s rulers chase Bengal with arrogance, our leadership chose empathy. This is the difference between politics of power and politics of people!" the TMC added.
