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Saturday, Jul 08, 2006

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Central team to visit Kerala

Special Correspondent

To make an on-the-spot assessment of the extensive damage caused by rain

NEW DELHI: An inter-ministerial team of the Centre will visit Kerala on Tuesday to make an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused during the recent heavy rain that lashed the State.

An assurance to this effect was given by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil here on Friday to a ministerial delegation from Kerala led by Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan.

Immediate flood relief

The delegation apprised Mr. Patil of the extensive damage caused to infrastructure, houses and agriculture by the heavy rain and demanded Rs.149 crores as immediate flood relief from the Centre.

Other issues raised by the Kerala delegation during their meeting with Mr. Patil pertained to immigration clearance problems and the agrarian crisis in the State that has led to 1,500 farmer suicides.

In New Delhi for the first time after taking charge, Mr. Achuthanandan was accompanied by seven members of his Cabinet — Education Minister M. A. Baby, Law Minister M. Vijay Kumar, Revenue Minister K. P. Rajendran, Water Resources Minister N. K. Premachandran, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, Health Minister P. K. Sreemathy and Public Works Minister P. J. Joseph.

Depending on the subject at hand, Mr. Achuthanandan took the Ministers concerned for his meetings. The Chief Minister met President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram besides Mr. Patil.

Briefing mediapersons about his meetings, Mr. Achuthanandan said the agrarian crisis was particularly acute in Wayanad, Idukki, Palakkad and Kasaragod.

Listing the measures taken by the State Government to ease the situation — waiving loans of farmers who had committed suicide and getting banks to agree to waive loans up to Rs.1 lakh — he said more needed to be done.

Detailed memorandum

A detailed memorandum for a Central package along the lines announced by the Government last week for Vidharbha would be presented to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by the Chief Minister at a meeting slated for Saturday.

Credit limits

Mr. Achuthanandan said he would also seek the Prime Minister's intervention in easing the State's credit limits. He raised this issue with Mr. Chidambaram and Mr. Ahluwalia. Because of a downsizing of the Plan outlay for Kerala, the borrowing capacity of the State had been reduced thereby affecting the new Government's development agenda.

Terminal project

Also, the Chief Minister will seek the Prime Minister's intervention in expediting pending clearances for the Vallarpadam Container Terminal Project in Kochi and the Vizhinjam Harbour Project in Thiruvananthapuram. Similarly, the State would like the Centre to hasten the process of giving All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) status to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College.

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