THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A total of 16 persons were killed and crops worth Rs 6.34 crore damaged in the heavy rains that lashed the state on Saturday and Sunday, Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan told the Assembly on Monday. Replying to a submission of Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, the minister said that a financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each would be given to the dependants of the deceased from the disaster relief fund. As per the preliminary report, 188.41 hectares of agriculture lands suffered damage affecting 2,784 farmers. A compensation of Rs 18,000 per hectare would be given from the disaster response fund. This apart, the state government would also give assistance for agriculture loss.
In Thiruvananthapu-ram, four persons were killed, two injured, 28 houses damaged fully and 465 houses partially. Three persons drowned in Alappuzha; three houses were damaged fully and 20 partially. Two kids drowned in a pond in Wayanad, while one person was killed in Kozhikode after a tree fell over him. In Kannur district also, one person was killed after a tree fell over him, while another person was killed after a wall collapsed. Two persons drowned in Kasargod. An eight-year-old child was killed when a tree fell over him at Pathanamthitta.
Four houses were damaged fully and 117 partially. In Idukki, one person was electrocuted, while one was reported missing. Nine houses in the district were damaged fully and 109 partially. Traffic along Adimali - Munnar road was diverted owing to landslides. In Kollam, one person was injured, three houses were damaged fully and 90 partially. As many as 68 houses suffered partial damage in Kottayam district. One house was fully damaged and 13 partially in Ernakulam and six houses were fully damaged and 58 houses partially in Thrissur. Seven houses were partially damaged in Palakkad. In Malappuram, two houses were damaged fully and 41 partially.
The fully damaged houses in hilly areas would be given up to Rs 1,01,900 from the distress response funds and up to Rs 95,100 in other areas. Those residing within 50 metres from coastal areas would be given compensation of Rs 4 lakh for fully damaged houses. Those willing to reside beyond 50 metres would be given up to Rs 6-lakh assistance, the minister said. All coastal districts were allotted Rs 50 lakh each for meeting emergency situations. Precautionary measures were taken by the revenue department to face the monsoon calamities, the minister said.
