Malappuram: When people in several parts of Kerala are facing major rehabilitation challenges after the disastrous floods, a civic body in Malappuram district has recommended a compensation way above what little damage two houses in its jurisdiction suffered due to the heavy rains last month.
All what the compounds of both the concrete buildings at Trikkalangode panchayat, near the semi-hilly Manjeri, faced amid the August downpour was a minor landslip that brought some earth down to their backyards. Yet what the village civic body has recommended to the state government as solatium was Rs 5.79 lakh in one case and Rs 3.47 lakh in another.
The reports that the panchayat’s assistant engineer sent to the revenue department last week has now raised a furore. Following this, the state administration has sought an inquiry. Minister E P Jayarajan ordered the probe in the wake of the expose by Manorama News.
The two houses may at best warrant Rs 10,000 to clear the landslip soil, but the assistant engineer has even gone to the extent of requesting construction of stonewalls around the compounds. This is when the official has reportedly not turned up at most other houses in the village that have suffered major damage in the calamity.
Complaints are on the rise that there is no proper inspection mechanism in place after the submission of preliminary reports estimating loss and seeking compensation. This can trigger financial impropriety in a big way, many allege.
