The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday announced a financial package of Rs 11,500 crore for rain and flood-affected people for repair works and other long-term flood mitigation measures.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the relief amount has been calculated at a higher rate than the prescribed norms as there was heavy damage in the deluge last month. Recently, more than 200 people lost their lives in rain-related incidents.
Sources said that while the cabinet has given its approval for assistance in excess of the prescribed norms for several categories of damages, it has not yet increased the compensation for damages to perennial crops and horticulture farms. Compensation will be given for these as per the prescribed norms.
Of the total financial package announced by the government, Rs 1,500 crore will be used to provide immediate assistance to the flood victims, while Rs 3,000 crore will be spent for rebuilding and repairing damaged infrastructure like roads, bridges, electricity and others. An amount of Rs 7,000 crore has been earmarked for long-term disaster mitigation measures in the affected areas.
The government will also give an ex-gratia of Rs 10,000 per family for clothes and utensils in the affected areas; Rs 1.5 lakh per house completely damaged; For houses damaged up to 50 per cent, 25 per cent and 15 per cent, the government will provide Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000 respectively; and Rs 15,000 per hut completely destroyed.
A maximum assistance of Rs 50,000 will be given to affected shopkeepers and Rs 10,000 to small sellers.
Handicraft workers and artisans will also get a maximum assistance of Rs 50,000. Equal compensation will be given to fishermen for fully damaged boats and Rs 5,000 for partially or fully damaged nets.
However, the cabinet has not made any increase in the compensation for the damage caused to agriculture and horticulture crops. “The cabinet has so far decided to give compensation for agriculture as per government norms without any increase in compensation like other items,” an official said.
As per the existing rules, compensation of Rs 18,500 per hectare will be given for loss of perennial crops, while Rs 13,500 and Rs 6,800 per hectare will be given for loss of crops and horticulture on irrigated and non-irrigated land respectively.
Officials said that out of Rs 1,500 crore, an amount of Rs 600 crore has been set aside for compensation as per the existing norms for agriculture. “As per preliminary estimates, about 4.20 lakh hectares of agricultural land has been damaged, for which Rs 491 crore has been set aside. Since most of the district collectors said that the agricultural damage may increase further, we have also set aside Rs 109 crore for the same.
Thackeray has also directed that a comprehensive and permanent policy should be formulated for citizens living in landslide prone areas as well as citizens living within the Blue Line, keeping in mind the maximum flood discharge in 25 years. has been marked.
“Frequency of floods is increasing. Therefore, it should be studied by forming a committee of experts and administrative officers. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) should also be involved in the study,” said Thackeray, adding that the report should be submitted to the cabinet.
The CM further said that a scientific study should be done for deepening and widening the bed of Gandhari, Savitri and Vashishti rivers and construction of flood protection walls in Mahad and Chiplun regions. He said that the schemes should be implemented in the next three years.
In addition, real-time data acquisition system should be installed in the next three months in Mahad and Chiplun regions. “It will measure the rainfall on an hourly basis and predict the rise in water level in the next few hours so that we will be able to issue warnings to the people in advance,” an official said.
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