Lightning strikes in Assam over past weeks claim 23 lives: State disaster mgmt agency, DC to release ex-gratia within 48 hours

Guwahati: At least 23 people have died in storms and lightning strikes in the past few weeks in Assam, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has said. The two natural disasters have also affected around 22,801 families in 18 districts of the state in the current year, the ASDMA said in a statement on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_6130751” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Assam police. Reuters[/caption] The worst-hit districts are Golaghat, Sivasagar, Dhubri, Sontipur, and Cachar. While ten persons died in the storms, 13 persons have died after being struck by lightning, the ASDMA said. The state government has directed all the deputy commissioners (DCs) to release ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased persons within 48 hours. The DCs of the storm-affected districts have also been directed to take immediate steps for assessing the loss of property. This has to be done for the expeditious release of the rehabilitation grant for the fully or severely damaged houses as per the Government of India norms. The norms stipulate that rehabilitation grant should be released for pucca or kutcha houses at the rate of Rs 95,100 in the plains and Rs 1,01,900 in the hilly areas. For each of the partially damaged pucca houses, the rehabilitation grant should be released at the rate of Rs 5,200, while for each of the partially damaged kutcha houses it should be at the rate of Rs 3,200.