Say they do not want peanuts; vow to stage rasta roko on Aug 16
TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: In an unprecedented action, flood victims of Cuncolim on Monday returned the cheques back to the district administration in protest against the meager compensation.
An embarrassed District Collector N D Agrawal tried to reassure the victims via the Cuncolim Municipal Chairperson Devendra Dessai that the Rs 1,400 compensation was not a final settlement and the government was in the process of working out a final package.
Around 19 flood victims from Sanvorcotto, who had accepted the cheques on Thursday, returned them to the Cuncolim talathi Rupak Naik at the Cuncolim Municipal Council this morning in protest against the meager compensation. The talathi later handed over the cheques to the Salcete Mamlatdar, leaving the taluka and district administration embarrassed. “There’s no point in accepting the compensation when we have to open an account by depositing Rs 500. It’s better not to accept the compensation at all. The authorities have not done justice to us. They should either pay full compensation or repair the damage caused by the floods,” a victim demanded.
CMC Councillor Polita Carneiro said the state government has promised flood relief to distant Uttarakhand, but has left the Cuncolim flood victims in the cold.
When contacted, District Collector N D Agrawal insisted that what has been paid to the victim is not a final settlement, saying the victims will receive compensation under the State scheme. “Relief under the state scheme could not flow to the victims since there were 2-3 types of cases before the administration, including damage to compound walls,” he said, adding “the victims had received the first cheque pending final settlement of their claims.”
Sources in the know said the administration has processed the file and the delay for granting additional relief to the victims was attributed to the bureaucratic red tape since funds under the state scheme was never sanctioned for South Goa in the last five years.
The victims maintained that what the administration paid them was peanuts, demanding full compensation for the losses. The victims have vowed to stage a rasta roko on August 16 if the administration fails to meet their demands.
