Maharashtra cabinet clears Rs 3,200 crore Konkan disaster management program

MUMBAI: With the coastal districts being battered by natural disasters, the state cabinet on Wednesday cleared a Rs 3,200 crore Konkan disaster management program under which several mitigation measures will be taken for the region.
In the last two years, the three districts--Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg have been hit by two cyclones, a deluge leading to landslides, and other disasters.
As part of this program, a comprehensive plan will be prepared for the capacity building in these districts.
A system will be set up for early warning, better preparedness to deal with natural disasters will be a part of the program.
According to the approval given by the cabinet, of the Rs 3,200 crore, Rs 2,000 crore will be spent from the state disaster mitigation fund and the remaining Rs 1,200 crore will be given as part of the state budget in the next four years.
There is also a plan to shift utilities underground so that they are not damaged and also construct resilient infrastructure in the region. For the execution of the project, a project monitoring committee will be set up and experts will be hired for it.
"The region is bearing the burnt of natural disaster very often and this program will help them handle them better. The idea is to reduce damage, improve response time and avoid loss of lives and damage to critical infrastructure,"said an official.
Nisarga cyclone in 2020 which made landfall near Alibag caused huge damage to the region, which was then followed by the Tauktae cyclone in 2021, and then the heavy rains that caused several landslides and casualties in the region.