THANJAVUR: Thanks to the intervention of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), the family of a farmworker who died of injuries when a coconut tree fell on him during Gaja cyclone, got relief after a year.
K Natarajan (45), a farmworker was staying with his family in a hut in Melathoppu at Soorapallam village when Gaja cyclone struck the coast on November 16, 2018. A coconut tree came crashing down and he was injured.
He was admitted to Thanjavur Medical college hospital on November 20, 2018. Meanwhile, based on
the enumeration done immediately after Gaja, the state government-sanctioned Rs 50,000 for those injured. The same was to be disbursed in January 2019.
By the time relief was disbursed, Natarajan died and the amount was handed over to his wife Chithra.
With the breadwinner no more, Chithra moved from the coconut grove and lived on the banks of a lake in Orathanadu with her two sons aged 10 and 6 and 8-year-old daughter. She reportedly borrowed Rs 6,000 from U Mahalingam of Pottalangudi for conducting the 10th-day rituals of her husband.
In return, she let her 10-year-old son work for Mahalingam. On information, a boy was herding goats,
ChildLine officials rescued him on March 6, 2019.
On November 19, 2019, the State Commission for protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) conducted a consultation meeting at Government home for boys at Thanjavur, where the boy studied. On hearing the plight of the boy, M P Nirmala retired IAS officer and Chairperson of the SCPCR brought the incident to the notice of former IAS officer and former Director of State Disaster Management department Venkatachalam.
The case was followed up and after the perusal of records and proposals by the concerned revenue officials, Thanjavur District Collector M Govinda Rao on November 27, 2019, ordered release of Rs 4 lakhs from the State Disaster Relief Fund to be paid to the family of Natarajan as Gaja relief for those killed during the cyclone.
The Rs 3.5 lakhs from this fund (after deducting Rs 50,000 already paid) was divided into four equal share of Rs 87,500 and will be credited to bank accounts of his wife Chithra and three children.
The Collector also recommended for the payment of Rs 6 lakhs from the Chief Minister Relief Fund as the relief announced for the families of those who died in Gaja cyclone was `10 lakhs.