Compensation to the Meethotamulla victims will be decided by a committee and the Government will fully compensate to all those affected, Disaster Management Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told the Sunday Observer yesterday.
“Compensation will be provided after we complete a survey. The survey is being done by Valuation Department officials who have made considerable progress in their work.
We will decide how much is to be paid after their work is completed. The Government is prepared to provide adequate relief to everyone who has been affected,” the Minister said.
According to information gathered, the number of houses that are considered damaged is around 246 while the number of affected people has risen up to 1,059.
“We have recovered 32 bodies and about eight people have gone missing and 11 injured, while 79 houses have been completely damaged and 17 partly damaged,” he said
Minister Yapa said the Government on Wednesday decided to give 98 houses to the people who lost their houses and move them to those houses immediately. Thirty such houses were handed over to the victims by President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday.
“The rest of the people will be given houses in July. That means their housing problem is settled,” Minister said.
“You can’t always put the blame on other people saying that they have not done their job properly in spite of warnings or whatever. I am not blaming anyone. We have not been able to find a solution to the garbage problem for a long time. The responsibility lies with the people who criticise us because they have also done nothing, so both sides have to take the blame.”
Asked whether the authorities have any idea as to how many legal and illegal structures including houses were around the Meethotamulla garbage dump, the Minister said this responsibility has been passed on to the Colombo District Secretary.
“We are now getting all the information with the help of Grama Niladaris, Municipal Councils and other relevant authorities. My belief is that some of them are illegal occupants.
There are also deeds given by the Government. Irrespective of all that, the Government has taken a decision to treat everyone alike considering the gravity of the situation.”
In Colombo, around 600 to 900 metric tons of garbage is collected daily and finding a place to dump it has become a huge issue. “We will have to find a scientific answer to it,” the Minister said.