Flood victims likely to get houses in a month

The Kodagu district administration has decided to construct model houses for landslide and flood victims who have lost their homes.

A blueprint for Rs 10 lakh for each dwelling unit has been prepared. The government will pay Rs 6 lakh under Natural Calamity Relief Fund while the remaining amount would be raised from donors.

The district administration had decided in the past to appeal to various organisations and donors to adopt the affected villages and provide it with basic facilities. Now, the proposal has been dropped and the authorities have decided to use the amount collected from the public for the construction of houses.

Special Deputy Commissioner Jagadish said, “We are in talks with the Society for Development and Composites in Kengeri, Bengaluru. The engineers have promised to construct houses within a month by using the latest technology. The work on levelling the land at Madapura in Somwarpet taluk and K Nidugani in Madikeri taluk is underway.” The houses have been designed to suit the environment in the district. The victims who give their consent will get their house at the earliest. The house will have two bedrooms, a hall, and kitchen. The soil has become soft in the district following heavy rain. As a result, the latest technology will be used to construct durable houses, he explained. Further, he said estate owners have shown interest to construct houses in their own land. All help would be extended to them. About 4,000 acres of coffee plantations have been destroyed in the district. The issue of distributing compensation for those who have lost their land is being discussed, he said.