R ARIVANNATHAM
COIMBATORE, DECEMBER 3
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam consoled the family members of the 17 deceased in the Mettupalayam wall collapse and announced total solatium of Rs. 10 lakh on Tuesday evening. Earlier, the government had announced a solatium of Rs. 4 lakh to the families of deceased from the Disaster Relief Fund and announced another Rs. 6 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund on Tuesday.
Palaniswamy also announced that the government will give employment to any one of the family members of deceased and also build new houses through the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB). The TNSCB tenements will be built and allotted to those living in damaged houses in the area. The government will also build houses for those living on the banks of Cauvery.
When asked whether the wall that had collapsed was “untouchable wall’’, Palaniswami said the authorities are conducting inquiries and will take action as per the law. The owner of the neighbouring house, whose compound wall claimed the lives, was arrested, the chief minister said.
Stalin also consoles families
Earlier in the day, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam President M.K. Stalin visited the houses that were collapsed in Nadur in Mettupalayam. Consoling the family members of the deceased, Stalin said that the solatium announced by the government was not enough and the government should consider giving employment to the eligible members of the deceased.
Owner of neighbouring house arrested
A 60-year-old man was arrested by the Mettupalayam police on Tuesday in connection with the collapse of a compound wall of his house that had claimed 17 lives, including women and children, in the wee hours of Monday. All the deceased belonging to Scheduled Caste were living in these houses for the past six decades.
According to police, they have arrested S. Sivasubramanian (60), a textile shop owner, as the 20-foot compound wall was built with rock blocks around his house in Cooperative colony in Nadur village, Mettupalayam in Coimbatore district.
Police have invoked sections 304 A of IPC and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Property Prevention Damage and Loss Act (TNPPDL Act).
Earlier on Monday, the relatives of the deceased and few fringe organisations of Dalit outfits staged a protest demanding immediate arrest of Sivasubramanian. The relatives and Dalit outfits even refused to receive the body of the deceased demanding increased solatium.
Arrested Sivasankaran would be produced before a local court and remanded in judicial custody, police officials said.
