ALAPPUZHA: A two-member Central team of observers deputed to assess the damage caused by monsoon in the State visited the flood-hit areas of the district on Wednesday.

The team visited Neerkunnam in Ambalappuzha panchayat and flooded paddy fields of R-block in Kuttanad. The team members said they would submit a detailed report to the Union Home Ministry within a week. A committee that includes Union Agriculture Secretary and other top officials would later finalise the quantum of aid.

The team consisted of Rekha Pai, DIG in Union Ministry of Forests and Environment, and Ranjan Kumar, Director in the Finance Ministry. Alappuzha District Collector K.R. Muraleedharan and officials of the Irrigation, Agriculture, Revenue and Fisheries Department accompanied them. At

Neerkunnam, they visited the areas where heavy rain and sea erosion wreaked havoc. The team interacted with the public and listened to their grievances.

The team visited R-block in Kuttanad, later. Convener of the paddy field owners association of R-Block T.J. Abraham submitted a memorandum to the team. Mr. Abraham said that financial aid should be allotted for the construction of barrages around the paddy fields. He demanded that compensation to farmers be fixed taking into account the loss suffered by them from destruction of paddy crop.

Haripad MLA B. Babuprasad submitted a detailed memorandum to the team on the loss suffered by the coastal panchayats of Thrikkunnappuzha and Arattupuzha.

He demanded a special package for both panchayats. Mr. Babuprasad pointed out that Arattupuzha panchayat that had been hit by tsunami earlier was being affected by sea-erosion repeatedly. The adjoining coastal panchayat Thrikkunnappuzha was also being troubled by sea-erosion, said the memorandum.

Team visits Thrissur

Staff Reporter writes from Thrissur: Two members of the Central team, now in the State to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the monsoon-related calamities, visited various parts of the district on Wednesday.

The team members who came to Thrissur were K. Manoharan of the Agriculture Department and Muhar Singh of the Rural Development Ministry. District Collector K.S. Premachandra Kurup submitted a memorandum to the team members putting the losses in the monsoon fury in the district at Rs.36 crores.

It also mentioned that 14 persons had been killed and 10 had been injured in the monsoon-related accidents.

They said they would submit their report to the Centre within a week.

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