Collector held meeting for Ukkamdam incident
District Collector Neeraj Mittal (left) addresses a meeting in the city on Sunday on the re-settlement of people evacuated from unsafe buildings. Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran (right) is in the picture.District Collector Neeraj Mittal held on Sunday a meeting with police, revenue and Coimbatore Corporation officials the issue of re-settling the occupants of more than 300 houses in the apartment blocks of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) on Vincent Road at Ukkadam in the city.The residents are being evacuated after one of the blocks collapsed on Friday killing 13 persons. As the other blocks were also found to be weak, the residents were being asked to leave for the sake of their safety. Apart from these, there were more than 300 other houses in the Board’s apartments across the city. Officials sources said after the meeting that about 650 houses had been identified as weak and dangerous to the lives of the occupants. They said that apart from the houses on Vincent Road, the others were at Sidhapudur, Kamarajapuram and Palayathottam.The meeting held on Sunday was to take of the situation that would arise when all these occupants were evacuated.The issues of providing temporary accommodation in schools or marriage halls, food and also an alternative permanent shelter were discussed given the fact that thousands of people would be displaced, the sources said.
The Collector discussed all aspects of evacuation and re-settlement with Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran, District Revenue Officer S. Prabhakaran, Revenue Divisional Officer M. Subramaniam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) P. Sugumar and Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) and TNSCB officials.Rural Industries Minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy gave away on Saturday Rs. 2 lakh as solatium to the families of those killed in the building collapse. The State Government had also announced an assistance of Rs. 25,000 to the injured and a house shifting assistance of Rs. 5,000 a family to those affected by the collapse. Housing Secretary R. Sellamuthu, TNHB Managing Director P.A. Ramaiah, TNSCB Managing Director T.K. Ramachandran, the Collector, City Police Commissioner C.K. Gandhirajan and Mayor R. Venkatachalam were present.Mr. Palanisamy visited nine of the 13 injured at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital and handed over the assistance.
The Coimbatore Corporation has opened a 24-hour Emergency Assistance Cell to save people affected by building collapse or any other trouble during heavy rain. People can call on 0422-2302323 to request help from the civic body.On receipt of information, the centre will help in despatching health and engineering staff to the problem spot, according to Corporation Commissioner P. Muthuveeran. The Corporation said on Sunday that eight of its schools had been kept open to accommodate people displaced by the evacuation on Vincent Road. Food and medical assistance would also be provided to the people at these schools.
