Goa govt to assess damage of cyclone-hit shacks for payout

The Goa government today said that the owners of the shacks that were hit by high tides caused by cyclone Ockhi, would be given compensation only after a comprehensive assessment of the damage is carried out.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar chaired a meeting of the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) and high-ranking district officials today to assess the situation arising out of unprecedented high tide due to cyclone Ockhi that damaged the beach shacks in the state.
State Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte was also present for the meeting.
Khaunte told reporters here that compensation would be paid to the affected people only after authorities conduct a comprehensive assessment of the damage.

He said compensation for the affected people under the Natural Calamity scheme would be announced after eight days, depending on the final report of the damages to be submitted by the magistrates of both the districts.
According to the minister, the shack operators will be compensated after physical verification by the Collectors, officials of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) and the Tourism Department.

The people affected by the calamity will have to submit details of the total loss to the respective district administration officials within two days, which would be followed by physical verification of the damaged property.

According to Khaunte, the calamity has not been declared as a state disaster, as only certain portions of Goa have been affected.
Several important beaches in the state were affected due to the sudden ingress of water, which resulted in inundation of the shacks and also erosion of the soil.