Flood-affected families in Khammam yet to get compensation announced by State Govt

The flood-affected families are complaining that the compensation announced by the government is not distributed yet and many families are not covered under the survey done to assess the loss

Khammam: Families affected by recent rains and Munneru floods are unhappy at the State government’s decision to give Rs 16,500 as compensation for the loss they suffered and want the compensation enhanced.

Several people’s organisations are also demanding the government to enhance the compensation as the majority of the families have lost household items worth lakhs of rupees besides damage to houses. The families are complaining that the compensation announced by the government is not distributed yet and many families are not covered under the survey done to assess the loss.

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A resident of Jublipura, Durgalakshmi told Telangana Today that all the household items bought in installments are damaged and the compensation offered by the government is nothing but a pittance. A resident of Bokkalagadda Eshwaramma, noted that rice they stocked in the house was damaged along with utensils and household goods. The compensation would not be sufficient to cover the loss, she noted.

CPI (ML) Mass Line state secretariat member K Rangaiah and its district secretary Gokinepalli Venkateshwarlu said that poor middle class households have lost property worth RS 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh due floods to water inundation.

Though the lakhs of rupees worth property was lost, the government offered just Rs 16,500 In Khammam district, more than 20,000 houses damaged and the government should give a minimum amount of Rs 1 lakh per household. Farmers who have lost their crops should be given Rs 1 lakh per acre, they said.

The leaders alleged that the government had miserably failed to anticipate the impact of the flood in advance and acted negligently in shifting the residents in flood prone areas to relief centres. The government’s failure has led to more damage.

Three ministers in the district Bhatti Vikramarka, Thummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy failed to ensure supply of sufficient quantities of groceries to the families. It is because of the assistance provided by charitable organisations and donors the families are able to sustain. The delay in distributing the compensation is troubling the families, said Mahamood of Kalvoddu area.

Meanwhile, Telangana Rythu Sangham demanded the government to offer Rs 25,000 per acre for food crops damaged due to recent heavy rains, Rs 50,000 per acre for commercial crops. In addition to that Rs 50,000 per acre should be paid to cover up land erosion and to remove sand deposited in the fields.