KOTTAYAM: The Government will expedite steps to extend assistance to the affected in the monsoon fury during the last week, Minister for Public Works P.J. Joseph has said. He was reviewing the functioning of the Government machinery in this respect at a conference of peoples' representatives and senior Government officials here.

The Minister asked the officials not to wait for the victims to come to them with their complaints, but to take a proactive role. Departments of Public Works, Minor and Major Irrigation, Agriculture and Revenue Departments have a key role to play in this regard, he added. Going by the loss suffered by the district during the first few days of the monsoon, the district will need at least Rs.100 crores to tide over the situation, he said.

MLAs' complaint

The MLAs who participated in the conference criticised the attitude of the officials, whom they maintained, did not even care to give a sympathetic ear to the complaints of the affected people. One of the major complaints was regarding the attitude of the Kerala State Electricity Board authorities that claimed at least one life in the district last week, according to P.C. George, MLA.

While large areas of paddy crop remained inundated, the authorities have failed even to visit some of the areas, said Thomas Chazhikkdan, MLA. V.N. Vasavan, MLA, said the provision for developing the roads in the low-lying areas should also be included in the monsoon calamity fund.

P.C. Thomas, MP, C.F. Thomas, Mons Joseph, K. Ajith (all MLAs), district panchayat president Thomas Kunnappally and District Collector Rani George participated in the conference.

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