T’puram: Leader of opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday criticised the UDF govt over the alleged delay in providing financial assistance to people affected by the floods in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta.In a social media post, Vijayan said nine people had died in the state following unexpected rain, flash floods and landslides on Sunday and expressed solidarity with the families of those who lost their lives. He alleged that govt continued to neglect disaster victims despite recurring natural calamities.He said govt had failed to disburse even the emergency assistance announced for those affected by the floods in the three districts in the first week of Aug. Govt had announced financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to flood victims, he said.In Alappuzha, more than 40,000 people had applied for the assistance, but only 83 had received even half the announced amount, Vijayan said. In Kottayam, the collection of details of disaster-affected people had not yet been completed, he alleged.Vijayan also alleged that govt had failed to even start accepting applications for the Rs 300 assistance announced for people who lost employment due to the rain-related damage, despite one-and-a-half months having passed since the announcement.He said govt should immediately stop what he described as a practice of making promises to people affected by disasters and ensure that the announced assistance was distributed to all eligible beneficiaries without delay.
