Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Oct 12: State Government is submitting memorandum to the Union Government tomorrow morning for special financial package of Rs 44,000 crore to rehabilitate the flood victims.
The package was approved by the Cabinet which met here on Friday under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah. The memo will be delivered to the Union Government tomorrow morning.
Over one lakh houses were fully damaged while over 3.45 lakh structures were fully and partially damaged besides hundreds of shops and business establishment were submerged in water causing damage to the Rupees thousands of crore. The Government infrastructure, hospitals and crops also suffered huge damage in the last month’s floods.
A senior Government official said that the Government is expecting some kind of immediate relief from the Centre so that the rehabilitation process of the flood victims is started.
The officer said that the Union Government will form a committee that will discuss the State’s memo for the special package. He said that they can also send a team of the officials that will take a review before taking any final decision on the quantum of the package.
The officer said that the State Government is entirely banking upon Central assistance for rehabilitation of the flood victims and if the package is not given soon, the flood victims rehabilitation can’t start before winter. He said that over 15 lakh people have no roof over their head and may have to shiver during the winters in subzero temperatures.
The officer said that the memo was worked at the current rates so that the people are properly rehabilitated. “For example, under NDRF norms a fully damaged house can get Rs 70, 000 but State Government is asking for Rs 9 lakh which is enough for a concrete small shelter for a family”, he added.
The officer said that the Union Government was expecting this kind of memo but they were expecting that State will ask for Rs 5 lakh for a fully damaged house and Rs 2 lakh for partially damaged house.
“The Union Government was not also expecting Rs 11 lakh as compensation for the businessmen who suffered losses in floods. And besides this they were not expecting one year rent which State Government has kept part of the memo for those people who will rent the accommodations”, said the officer.
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