Jayalalithaa promised all help to rebuild the lives of cyclone-hit people as she conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas which struggled to return to normalcy.
Reaching out to the cyclone-hit people, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today spoke comforting words to them and promised all help to rebuild their lives as she conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas which struggled to return to normalcy.
Jayalalithaa undertook the visit a day after announcing a Rs 700 crore relief package for the cyclone ravaged areas while her arch rival DMK chief M Karunanidhi, also on a similar exercise, said he was dissatisfied with relief measures.
Cuddalore and neighbouring Union Territory of Puducherry were the worst-affected by the Thane cyclonic storm which crossed the coast on December 30, leaving in its wake a trail of destruction and claiming 46 lives. Cuddalore accounted for 39 lives.
Addressing the affected people here, Jayalalithaa asked them not to worry and said government would extend all help. "It is your own government," she said, adding, it would always be with them.
She distributed relief assistance worth Rs 7.9 crore to 6,036 persons. This included Rs two lakh as solatium to the family members of 39 persons who died in the district.
She asked officials to disburse relief to the affected by tomorrow itself.
Meanwhile, Karunanidhi, who also visited the district, expressed unhappiness over relief measures and said his party would take up the issue with the Centre. "I will continue to urge the Centre to support the state government in its steps to provide relief to the affected people," he said.
The DMK patriarch distributed sarees, dhotis and woollen bed-sheets to villagers who alleged no official had visited them and that there was no power and drinking water supply for the past few days.
Cuddalore and Puducherry are struggling to come back to normal and authorities have stepped up efforts to restore power supply in the affected areas besides removing fallen trees and debris.
In Puducherry, shortage of manpower is hindering speedy removal of trees uprooted by the cyclonic storm and debris. The former French colony is shorn of most of the trees that adorned its roads and main thoroughfares.
The Calve Subbaraya Chettiar Street in the heart of the town, which was presented the UNESCO award for its Franco Tamil buildings and heritage structures, presents a barren look in the absence of trees.
Paddy, sugarcane and other crops had been affected, according to officials.
The Raj Nivas housing the office-cum-residence of the Lt Governor also was impacted by the cyclone. A senior official said there was extensive damage to a roof of glass in the residential portion and the damage would be around Rs 50 lakh.
The Chief Secretariat housing the offices of the Chief Secretary and other secretaries was also affected by the cyclone with window panes and air-condition equipment being blown-off.
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