Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government has sought damage assessment report from Collectors due to heavy rain occurred during September second week in order to pay assistance from SDRF/NDRF.
Odisha SRC Pradeep Kumar Jena has written to all District Collectors to assess the damage of private properties due to heavy rainfall and to submit the report within a week to release assistance under SDRF/NDRF norms.
“Due to heavy rainfall experienced in different parts of the State during 2nd week of September, 2021 and consequent localised flooding, there are reports of damage to private properties besides some human casualties. Assessment of damage to these properties in different sectors such as houses, agriculture (crop loss of 33% & above), sand cast of agriculture land, loss of cattle, etc. and enumeration of beneficiaries have to be taken up on priority so that the assistance, as per norms of SDRF, can be paid to the affected persons expeditiously to enable them to repair/ reconstruct their houses and restore livelihood,” said SRC PK Jena, in the letter to DMs.
“As per Paragraph -3 of Odisha Relief Code, “Heavy rain” would mean three days or more of uninterrupted rainfall, the total amounting to at least 3 times that of month’s average rainfall in the Block/ Area. In absence of suppoling materials, rain amount from 64.5 mm to 124.4 mm per day for continuous three days or more and / or 124.5 mm and above for more than one day may be treated as heavy rainfall.
The State Government has already declared “Heavy Rain” as State Specific Disaster within the local context for which expenditure on relief measures and immediate repair/ restoration of damaged public infrastructure shall be met from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF),” the letter added.
The SRC further requested the Collectors to take immediate action in this regard and furnish the damage assessment report within a week i.e., by 22.09.2021 positively for allotment of funds for disbursement.
Following SOP is to be followed for damage assessment and disbursement of assistance:-
- Geo-tagged and time stamped photograph of damaged houses and crop area must be taken during assessment and preserved in the case record. In case of house damage, photo of the beneficiary concerned may be taken along with the damaged house at the background.
- In case of houses fully damaged or severely inundated for more than two days, the affected household are to be provided with assistance for clothing and utensils in addition to the prescribed house building assistance.
- Crop loss assessment has to be carried out by the joint teams consisting of revenue, agriculture and horticulture personnel. The supervising officers shall conduct test checks to ensure correctness in the assessment.
- The cases of loss their lives may be expeditiously processed online through Disaster Assistance Monitoring & Payment System (DAMPS) for sanction and payment ex- gratia to the Next of Kins of the deceased.
- Since the damage has occurred in a limited scale, you may take steps for disbursement of the eligible assistance out of available funds without waiting for allotment from SRC. However, funds will be placed after receipt of reports from your end.
- All disbursement must be done through DBT i.e., by way of transfer of the amount to the account of the beneficiaries. Therefore, bank account details (preferably 1st page of the bank pass book) of the eligible beneficiaries must be collected at the time of assessment & enumeration.
- In case of house damage, a piece of polythene should be provided to the deserving affected household in the 1st place.
