Distressed over the alleged delay in receiving flood relief from the government, a 42-year-old labourer committed suicide in Wayanad district.
Sanal Kumar of Munhanalil at Thurayankunnu, near Thrikkaipetta in Meppadi grama panchayat, was found hanging inside a temporary shed built by his friends on Monday night.
Though Mr. Kumar’s house, built on a three-cent plot, had been damaged partially in 2018 floods and destroyed completely in the 2019 deluge, he was yet to get even the sum of ₹10,000, an emergency relief announced by the government for the victims of the deluge, his relatives said.
They alleged that undue delay on the part of the authorities in allocating funds for reconstructing his house drove Mr. Kumar to take the extreme step. He had submitted a lot of applications to the Revenue and grama panchayat officials for financial assistance in the past two years, but, it was denied to him, they added.
The labourer was hoping to get a house under the Life Mission project, but it was also yet to be granted, they added.
But K.K. Sahid, president, Meppadi grama panchayat, told The Hindu that the civic body had recommended the State government to provide a financial assistance of ₹4 lakh to Mr. Kumar after a field survey and his name was included in the list published by the government. The amount was allocated but, it was yet to be transferred to his account owing to some technical issues, Mr. Sahid said.
Moreover, according to the grama sabha list, Mr. Kumar’s name was included as the first beneficiary in ward no 3 of the grama panchayat for allotting house under the Prime Ministers’ Awas Yojana project, Mr. Sahid said.
When a team of police officials reached the spot to take the body for post mortem, the villagers detained them. Later Vythiri Tahsildar, Abdul Hameed, assured the villagers that steps would be expedited to release the compensation to Mr. Kumar, who is survived by wife Sajini and two children.