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Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami awaits nod to meet PM Modi for funds after Cyclone Gaja
Cyclone ‘Gaja’, which crossed the Tamil Nadu coast last Friday, claimed 45 lives and left a trail of destruction, uprooting 1.7 lakh trees and damaging 88,102 hectares of agricultural land in the area.
Five days after Cyclone Gaja hit the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said on Tuesday he was hopeful of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next couple of days to apprise him of the enormity of the catastrophe and seek central funds for relief and rehabilitation.
Palaniswami was visiting the cyclone-ravaged districts after Cyclone ‘Gaja’, which crossed the Tamil Nadu coast last Friday, claimed 45 lives and left a trail of destruction, uprooting 1.7 lakh trees and damaging 88,102 hectares of agricultural land in the area.
It had caused a severe damage in the districts of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Tiruvarur in Tamil Nadu and Karaikal in neighbouring Puducherry.
“We are hopeful of getting an appointment to meet the PM by tomorrow or the day after. We have sought an early appointment,” the chief minister said while responding to a reporter’s query in Pudukottai district.
Also read | DMK MPs, MLAs to contribute one month salary towards cyclone relief
On declaring the calamity as a national disaster and secure adequate funds from the Union Government, he said, “It will be taken up with the Centre. We will impress upon the Centre about the vast extent of the calamity and the grave situation prevailing here”.
Palaniswami also appealed to the people to extend assistance to those affected by the cyclone. He assured that no one who has been affected would be left out. “The process of assessment is yet to be completed and it will be a comprehensive one,” he added.
The chief minister, who landed in Pudukottai from Trichy, visited two places badly affected by the cyclone and distributed relief assistance to a few beneficiaries. Palaniswami, who arrived in Tiruvarur, had to cancel his programmed midway following heavy rains that lashed Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts.
A heavy security was in place after reports of sporadic protests in many villages and towns to protest the delay by the government in restoring normal life and extending relief measures. The ruling AIADMK has been facing the wrath of the affected people.
State handloom minister OS Manian was attacked by angry protesters in his native Nagapattinam district and police vehicles were torched and a deputy superintendent of police was attacked by a mob near Pudukottai. Road blockades were also reported from many places.
The delayed visit of the chief minister has also drawn flak from the opposition. He has also been accused of handing out compensation money and relief only to a select few.
Palaniswami had cited prior official engagements like the inauguration of a bridge and opening up of new government buildings in his native Salem district and neighbouring Namakkal district as the reason for not visiting the Gaja devastated delta districts.
Cyclone Gaja also wreaked havoc in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, where officials said 201 houses - two fully and 199 partially - were damaged in the cyclone. The estimated loss was ₹38 lakh, they said, adding that several trees were uprooted in the cyclone, which also severely damaged power infrastructure.
Tamil Nadu’s opposition party the DMK announced on Monday its’s legislators will contribute one month’s salary towards relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts. Party president MK Stalin said the DMK trust will separately contribute a sum of ₹1 crore towards the relief activities.
Several leading actors of Tamil film industry, including Suriya, Vijay Sethupathi, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Vishal, have also contributed towards relief funds for those affected by Cyclone Gaja.
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