PM calls Stalin, assures all help in cyclone relief

Stalin has requested PM Modi to depute a central team to assess the damages caused by the cyclone.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday to enquire about the situation in the state in the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, assuring him of all possible help from the Centre.

A rescue operation in progress following a landslide caused by continuous rainfall triggered by cyclone at Tiruvannamalai district in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. (PTI)

“The Prime Minister spoke to me over the telephone and enquired about the damages caused by Cyclone Fengal in Tamil Nadu,” Stalin posted on X. “I explained how the state government is effectively dealing with the disaster and relief assistance being given to the people affected by the rains.”

Stalin has requested PM Modi to depute a central team to assess the damages caused by the cyclone and reiterated his December 2 request asking for financial aid of ₹2,000 crore. “I am sure the Prime Minister will consider this request of Tamil Nadu and take appropriate measures,” Stalin added.

Stalin announced a slew of relief packages for the affected people on Tuesday which includes ₹2,000 for ration card holders whose livelihood has been hit for more than two days in Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi and ₹5 lakh will be given to each family who lost their kin in the natural disaster. Twelve people have been reported dead in Tamil Nadu so far. He also announced a compensation ₹17,000 per hectare for standing crops which had 33% damage.

The cyclone has wreaked unprecedented havoc across 14 districts of Tamil Nadu, affecting 1.5 crore people, inundating 2.11 lakh hectares of farmland, and damaging critical infrastructure. Uthangarai in Krishnagiri district received up to 50cm of rainfall followed by Harur in Dharmapuri with 33cm rainfall until Monday for 24 hours ending 8.30am, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai.

Meanwhile, people aware of the matter said that protesting villagers in Villupuram flung mud at forest minister K Ponmudy who was on an official tour of the district to take stock of the situation. Locals of the Arasur, Iruvelpattu and Villupuram have been protesting since Tuesday morning, demanding a quick relief in the aftermath of the cyclone.

Visuals surfacing of the situation showed that when the minister listened to people’s grievances from his car, some people started throwing mud at him for not assessing the situation from the ground. Ponmudy, who was accompanied by his son and former MP Gautam Sigamani along with district collector C Palani, left after the incident.

“The attack was politically motivated,” a senior DMK leader said not wishing to be named. The Thenpennai river has been in spate leaving several people marooned for the last two days in the district.

However, BJP state president K Annamalai, who has just returned from a 3-month sabbatical, said that the incident showed people’s anger towards the DMK regime. “Today, the public’s frustration reached a boiling point as a corrupt DMK minister Thiru Ponmudy visited a flood affected area and was met with a barrage of mud,” he said while posting the video of the incident on X. “This is a gentle reminder for DMK about what is going on,” he added.

In response, DMK spokesperson A Saravanan said, “What kind of reception should people give to the BJP which cheats Tamil Nadu by not giving flood relief to the state?”

The districts of Villupuram, Cuddalore and Kallakurichi remained inundated on Tuesday after the cyclone made a landfall near Puducherry on November 30.