Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont yesterday ordered concerned state agencies to carry out and complete the rehabilitation of flood-affected people within three months starting from mid November, Government Spokesman Yongyuth Maiyarap said yesterday.

After a three-hour meeting yesterday morning, Yongyuth said that Surayud - as head of the committee to follow-through on assistance to flood-affected people - had assigned 13 subcommittees to formulate budget plans to assist flood victims.

The operation was divided into four groups - flood victims' assistance, vocational assistance, restoration of damaged infrastructure, and administration works.

Surayud asked the 13 subpanels to study their operational areas and budgets and to submit their project reports to the 12th sub-committee headed by the director of the Bureau of Budget, which will then screen the projects. The projects will then be submitted for the Cabinet's approval.

The planning should be done within a month and then operations should be carried out and completed two months later. Everything should be back to normal by mid-February, Yongyuth said.

The newly-assigned subcommittees include: the Interior Ministry-led subcommittees for flood-victim assistance, unemployed assistance and restoration of government offices; the Social Development and Human Security Ministry-led subcommittee for housing arrangements for the victims, and the Agriculture Ministry-led subcommittee for farmer assistance.

During the planning period, various government agencies can continue with their flood-relief operations but must report their results to Surayud's committee to follow-through the assistance to flood-affected people, he said.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported flooding problems and relief operations so far to the meeting, which included the department's Bt328-million budget, which had already been spent to help flood victims.

It was also requested that the governors of Chai Nat, Nakhon Sawan, Sing Buri, Lop Buri, Angthong, Ayutthaya, Suphan Buri, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Sara Buri, Samut Prakan, Phitsanulok, Phichit and Sukhothai could use the Bt50-million emergency fund according to the Finance Ministry's regulations and procedures.

The department asked for a budget of Bt100 million for the hard-hit provinces of Nakhon Sawan, Phichit, Angthong and Ayutthaya, Yongyuth said.

Transport Minister Admiral Theera Haocharoen said after the discussion with the prime minister that the Highways Department would need to spend Bt3.3 billion to restore highways affected by the floods.

Over 390 roads under the department's jurisdiction need restoration while the rural highways department needs to fix over 200 roads.

"Both departments will initially spend their own funds on the restoration. If they are not enough, the ministry will ask for the central budget to finance it," he said.

Other ideas brought up at the meeting were to get vocational

colleges to set up mobile units to assist residents and for provincial governors to waive or lower the

local maintenance tax for affected residents, Yongyuth said.

The Commerce Ministry offered to find special-price materials for property restoration and to postpone the tax-collecting period for damaged shops.

Yongyuth said Surayud also ordered provincial governors to adjust their work and prepare sufficient information, as they would be cooperating with the agencies in this mission.

Yongyuth said the amount of budget used would be determined later, pending the submission of the 13 subcommittees' project reports. For the one-month planning period, agencies must use their own budget, he added.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary for the Interior, Pongpayom Wasaputi, said the initial rehabilitation will focus on employment and property restoration. His ministry would propose to the Cabinet meeting today (November 7) to approve 25 per cent of the flood-compensation budget so that the affected can have some money in their pockets.

Permanent Secretary for Agriculture Banphot Hongthong said the ministry had also dispatched up to 400 fast-moving units to take up farmers' flood complaints at 16 flood-affected provinces.

The Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department Samart said levels in all water ways will be back to normal by November 15.

However, floodwater draining from some further inland locations - such as Nonthaburi's Bang Bua Thong district and Suphan Buri's Song Phi Nong district - may take up to one month.