The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : ADB office to monitor tsunami rehabilitation programme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 30, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

ADB office to monitor tsunami rehabilitation programme

K.S. Sudhi

State to get $56.25-million aid from the bank, part of which is grant

KOCHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will open a support office in the State on August 1 for the implementation and supervision of the tsunami relief and rehabilitation programme being undertaken by the State with the Bank's aid.

The office, to be set up in Thiruvananthapuram, will have ``full-time specialists in project implementation, engineering and livelihood, with social development and environment safeguard specialists,'' Alex K. Jorgensen, head of the Urban Development India Resident Mission, told The Hindu on Wednesday.

The Bank's India Resident Mission will visit the project monthly or more often as required to sort out issues, he said.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the two States in South India to receive financial aid from the Bank for the programme. The ADB financial aid is partly loan and partly grant, with the grant component focussing on livelihood and community infrastructure.

Of the $200-million loan and grant assistance package to restore livelihoods and reconstruct infrastructure, Kerala will get $56.25 million and Tamil Nadu $143.75 million.

The rehabilitation project has components such as restoration of livelihoods through micro-enterprise training, replacement of productive assets, upgrading of skills and reconstruction of community-based infrastructure. Reconstruction of major district roads and bridges, drains, ports and harbours, restoration and upgrading of damaged water supply systems and sanitary complex and solid waste management facilities will also be undertaken. Mr. Jorgensen said the State Government would be fully in charge of the rehabilitation programme and would be implementing the programmes through its line departments and agencies as in the case of other projects.

The Fisheries Department will be in charge of the livelihood programmes in fishermen villages, the Kerala Water Authority will take care of the water supply programme and the Rural Development Department will handle the sanitation and solid waste management programmes. The tsunami Project Management Unit, under the Secretary (Disaster Management) of the State Government, will coordinate the projects. The ADB team is scheduled to reach Thiruvananthapuram on July 12 and a workshop on recruitment of consultants and procurement of civil works packages will be held.

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