For verification: State set to geo-tag damaged properties

Kolkata: Creating a full proof verification process before giving out the compensation to cyclone Yaas-affected people through Duare Tran outreach programme, the Bengal government will be geo-tagging the damaged property with its live photographs that is to be uploaded using a newly introduced mobile phone app by field officers.

Earmarking an immediate relief of Rs 1000 crore, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already stated that not a single genuinely affected people get deprived of the government's assistance and she has also put forward a set of guidelines for setting up of Duare Tran camps where an applicant needs to visit physically to drop his or her "hand written application on plain paper" containing details of the damage caused to their property.

The Duare Tran programme will commence on June 3 and applications will be received till June 18. The camps cannot be set up at Gram Panchayat and municipality offices. It has to be set up at school or college buildings and no bulk applications will be received.

The detailed process of receiving application, its verification and execution of Duare Tran programme has been thoroughly discussed in a meeting headed by Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi. Senior officers including the Home Secretary BP Gopalika, Finance Secretary Manoj Pant and Honourary Advisor in the state Agriculture department Pradip Majumder were present in the meeting. Officers from all districts starting from DMs to SDOs also attended the meeting virtually.

There will be data entry operators at each Duare Tran camp and they will immediately upload details of an application soon after receiving it. As a result, its softcopy will become available in the dedicated portal and app installed in field officers' mobile phones. Tallying with the application, they will not only carry out physical verification of a damaged property but also take its live photograph and geo tag the same.

The geo-tagging is important for subsequent verification followed by which genuinely affected people will get their benefits transferred directly in their bank accounts between July 1 and 8.

The Duare Tran camps will be set up only in districts where there was damage due to the cyclone including Howrah, North and South 24-Parganas and East and West Midnapore.

Directions have also been given to all districts to complete necessary preparations to avoid major loss during upcoming monsoon.

At the same time DMs have been directed to expedite the work of development projects that have got slightly delayed due to the elections.