The post-flood rehabilitation aid declared by the State government has reached a majority of families whose houses were destroyed or partly damaged in rain-related calamities in the district.
Of the 7,457 applicants shortlisted by the government for post-flood rehabilitation aid, 6,594 received the first instalment to complete emergency repair of houses.
Revenue Department officials said the selected families had been categorised into six on the basis of the loss suffered and the place of stay, and up to ₹1.01 lakh had been allotted to each family. In the urban area ₹1,01,900 was granted as the first instalment, while those in rural areas got ₹95,100 each.
Around 2.43 lakh houses were damaged in various rain-related calamities in the State. According to district-level assessment reports submitted to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, 57,067 persons have been granted aid so far. The second and third instalments due to the selected beneficiaries too will be released soon, officials said.
They added that the total loss in rain-related calamities in Kozhikode was ₹700 crore, and that it had been presented before all State and national authorities during their visit to the district. The Central team and World Bank officers too had made site visits to asses the impact of calamities and consider the district’s plea for compensation, the officials said.
Other than State and Central aid, a number of non-governmental and charity organisations had come to the aid of flood and landslip-hit families in Kozhikode. In most of the six local panchayats where landslips caused severe damage, the first phase of rehabilitation work was completed by December, 2018.
Officials of the Kattippara grama panchayat said the support of various non-resident Keralites had been instrumental in rebuilding houses affected by landslips in Karinchola that claimed the lives of 14 persons. The families that suffered huge losses in the incident have already been granted complete relief aid declared by the State government immediately after the incident, they pointed out.