Final decision on rasta roko to be taken today
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: South Goa District Collector N D Agrawal on Wednesday rushed with enhanced compensation to the July 2 Cuncolim flood victims, even as they served notice on the government declaring their intention of staging rasta roko at Sanvorcotto on August 16.
Three days after the victims returned their cheques to the district administration in protest against the meager compensation of Rs 1,400, the administration on Wednesday issued cheques of Rs 4,000 to each of the victims. As far as the damage to compound walls is concerned, each of the victims will receive compensation amounting between Rs 6,500 and Rs 8,500, he said.
The District Collector told the media after his meeting with Cuncolim Municipal Chairperson Devendra Desai that the authorities worked out the enhanced compensation under the State scheme in force to compensate victims of natural calamity. “The compensation of Rs 1,400 was not the final settlement. We wanted to also give some amount under the State scheme to the victims, but it consumed a lot of time since funds were not allocated for South Goa under the scheme during the last five years,” Agrawal said, adding that the funds were made available to the South from the North Goa head only recently.
Replying to a question, he said the MLPAD guidelines are clear that funds cannot be used to give individual relief to victims. “Though both Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik and South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha promised funds under the MPLAD schemes, there are no guidelines in the scheme to grant relief to individuals,” he said.
Meanwhile, CM Chairperson Devendra Desai said the flood victims on Wednesday have declared their intention to stage a rasta roko on August 16 in protest against the compensation. He said that the flood victims and the people of Sanvorcotto will take a final call on the proposed rasta roko on Thursday
