The Hindu : Karnataka News : Kumaraswamy to hand over keys to tsunami houses

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Friday, Sep 21, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Kumaraswamy to hand over keys to tsunami houses

R.K. Radhakrishnan

160 houses with an outlay of Rs. 336 lakh have been completed in the second phase

CHENNAI: When Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy hands over keys of about 160 permanent tsunami houses at a village in Villupuram later this month, it will once again serve as a reminder that the people of the two States do not wait for relations between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to improve to help one another.

Immediately after the tsunami, it was a phone call between alumni of Ramakrishna Vidyasala, Mysore, one now in Thanjavur and the other in Mysore that triggered the cooperation between the two States. “Initially, my classmate Narendra and five of his friends arrived. From then on, we zeroed in on Modaliyarkuppam and have been working there,” said S. Marudhudurai, a surgeon with the Thanjavur Medical College.

The number of volunteers pouring in with cash and offer to help kept increasing in size to the extent that they formed an informal group, the Mysore Citizens Forum, merely to get more organised and direct their relief efforts better.

The people from Mysore also contributed nearly Rs.1.5 crore towards the project. Initially, the aim was to cater to the livelihood needs of fishermen.

The village panchayat requested them to replace the 30 boats that were lost in the tsunami. This was done, partly with the aid of a Tamil Nadu Government subsidy.

“We ran out of money around this time. We approached the JSS Mahavidyapeetha, Mysore, and also the Karnataka Government,” recalls Dr. Marudhidurai. There was no hesitation on anyone’s part at any point, he adds. Soon, the Government, a religious institution and a loosely-knit citizen’s forum were working in tandem and implementing a project worth Rs. 600 lakh.

The package included construction of 250 houses, afforestation and supplementary vocational training.

In the first phase, in the allotted land, 90 houses were built. Now, the others are ready. “I should tell you that these are the largest houses built anywhere. We built a house of 425 sq ft,” he says.

Early this month, Mr. Kumaraswamy wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi informing him of the progress and his intention to visit the State for the inauguration. “In the second phase, 160 houses with an outlay of Rs. 336 lakh have been completed and will be given to the beneficiaries,” he said and added that he would preside over the inaugural function on September 29.

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