THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The state government has decided to sanction 121.01 crore as flood relief, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the Assembly on Tuesday.
This includes 64.19 crore as compensation for damages sustained in 2018 and `56.82 crore for settling dues dating from 2016. Revenue minister E Chandrasekharan read out the statement made under Rule 300 on behalf of the Chief Minister. Monsoon-related incidents have so far claimed 56 lives, destroyed 255 houses and damaged crops in 4217.91 hectares across the state since November 29, the day the south-west monsoon set in over the state.
The government has also entrusted a panel headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) to prepare guidelines for tackling natural calamities with special reference to the special characteristics of the state. The secretary State Disaster Management Authority will be the convener of the committee. Other members include the director, Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSREC); Dr V P Dineshan of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management; Dr S Abhilash of the Cochin University of Science and Technology; G Shankar, senior consultant, National Centre for Earth Science Studies and a representative of the Geological Survey of India.
