City Hall pledges extra funds for earthquake repair after criticism
City Hall has responded to criticism regarding the inadequacy of compensation offered for home repairs to earthquake victims, stating that additional funds may be allocated in exceptional circumstances.
The compensation issue was addressed during a press conference on earthquake relief, led by Deputy Bangkok Governor Tavida Kamolvej, after a public outcry was triggered by a complaint posted on Facebook by People’s Party MP for Bangkok, Supanat Meenchainan, yesterday, April 20.
Supanat highlighted that numerous condominiums sustained significant damage from the March 28 earthquake. The estimated cost for repairs per condo owner was expected to be in the tens of thousands of baht. However, officials informed condo owners that compensation would be approximately 300 to 700 baht per unit, with a crack in the wall valued at 75 baht in compensation.
A recent case involved a condo owner being offered 41 baht and 90 satang in compensation. Supanat questioned the government’s generosity and care for its citizens, describing the amount for home repair as inadequate and disappointing.
He further criticised compensation rates, stating they were significantly lower than the amounts spent by some state offices on costly building projects and furniture, and argued that taxpayers should be treated with more respect.
Supanat has raised these compensation concerns with a House standing committee, which has summoned the officials responsible for the process to testify on April 24.
During the press conference, Tavida asserted that the compensation distributed by City Hall complies with existing disaster mitigation regulations. She explained that compensation is intended to cover building materials and repair costs in cases where damage is confined to specific parts of a house.
The deputy governor noted that the initial rates given to some condo owners were preliminary, and city engineers would conduct further visits before seeking a budget from the Finance Ministry.
An amendment proposing larger compensation amounts is set to be presented in Parliament tomorrow, although Tavida acknowledged that the approval process might require additional time, reported Bangkok Post.
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