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Gaja: Dwellers in tiled houses eligible for relief
Finding that a person who lost his tiled house during the Gaja cyclone was yet to receive relief as the Government Order failed to include fully damaged tiled houses for compensation, the Madras High Court has directed the government to take a policy decision on the quantum of compensation payable to those who lost their tiled houses and disburse the relief in a month.
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Chennai
Observing that it was not clear whether the omission of tiled house from the purview of compensation was inadvertent or purposeful omission, Justice R Suresh Kumar said if the government was giving compensation to those who lost huts, then it should have thought of the victims who lost their tiled house in that locality.
Pointing out the petitioner’s house had sustained damages in the cyclone, which was substantiated by tahsildar’s written statements, the judge said denying compensation to such victims was a “great injustice to a class of citizens” who, too, were affected by the natural calamity.
“If this state of affairs continues, and by virtue of that, if large number of cyclone victims who lost their tiled houses suffered, the attitude of the government towards this issue as projected now cannot be appreciated,” Justice Suresh Kumar said.
In the absence of any GO, it cannot be presumed that the higher authorities would sanction compensation to the petitioner, the judge held that the GO passed based on the policy decision should have the quantum of compensation earmarked, which must be equal to or be adequate enough enabling the victims to reconstruct their houses.
Till such full compensation was paid, an interim compensation should be paid to such victims as decided by the district collector depending on the immediate needs of the victims to make a dwelling house for the present, the judge added while directing the completion of the exercise within a month.
The petitioner S Muruganandam, a resident of Katharikollai Street, Karambayam Village in Pattukottai taluk, had moved the court as he was not paid any compensation all these months for the severe damages his tiled house had suffered during Gaja cyclone that hit Tamil Nadu on November 15.
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