No state aid for encroachers
Relief and rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam on Tuesday said that while the state government annually spends `500 crore for the rehabilitation of the people affected due to heavy rains, the people encroaching upon the blue-line (flood-line) areas along the rivers across the state will not be eligible for any government aid.
The blue-lines are lines of demarcation along the main river bed
deciding the boundary of prohibitive zone. “People keep on encroaching the blue-line areas even if they are rehabilitated elsewhere. But since there was heavy rainfall this year, we would help them (people residing in blue-line areas) towards their rehabilitation. However, henceforth, no help will be provided,” Mr Kadam said.
This year, the state is facing a peculiar situation where on one side it is providing tanker water to areas affected by drought, while on the other side its is preparing to rehabilitate flood affected people.
Mr Kadam informed that 1,078 tankers are still being used to provide water in 822 villages. “The government is still running 253 cattle sheds in four districts (Pune, Satara, Sangli and Solapur) where 2,11,802 cattle are kept,” he said.
On the other hand, Vidarbha region is hit by floods in which more than 20 people have died so far. Mr Kadam said that the estimated loss of public property is worth `367 crore. More than five thousand houses have been completely destroyed by the floods, while the number of partially damaged houses is 60,962.
“The panchnama will be completed by August 10 to evaluate the damage to crops and accordingly the state will provide monitory help,” the minister said.
The minister also said that the state government would give financial assistance of `2.50 lakh to the next of the kin, who died in the heavy rains this year. `70,000 will be given to each farmer whose crop has been destroyed completely.
“Financial assistance will also be given to the farmers who have lost their cattle in the floods,” he said.
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