Palghar: ‘Rain damage relief package to fisherfolk is inadequate’

Tuesday night’s unseasonal rain caused major damage to a number of fishing boats. Representation Pic/istock

The compensation for rain-related damage under current rules is inadequate and the Maharashtra government should offer a special package to the fisherfolk community in Palghar district, local MP Hemant Savara said on Thursday.

Unseasonal rains, accompanied by strong winds, caused major damage to boats, nets and fishing equipment on Tuesday night while the roofs of a number of houses were blown off, he said in a release after visiting some of the affected villages.

"The assistance provided for the damaged boats under the current government rules is very inadequate," he said, adding that he has approached Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the fisheries department seeking a special financial package on the lines of one announced after Cyclone Tauktae struck the Maharashtra coast.

The damage to houses and agriculture in other talukas of the district is also serious, the MP said. A team of senior officials has been sent to survey the areas affected by unseasonal rains, a government release said earlier in the day.

Rain accompanied by strong winds claimed one life and damaged nearly 800 houses and 50 boats on Tuesday night, officials said. Moreshwar Lohar, 65, died after stepping on a live electric wire that had fallen during the storm at Vedi village. He had gone to graze his goats when the accident occurred, a local police official said.