CENTRAL TEAM REACHES TAMIL NADU AND PUDUCHERRY, ASSESSES CYCLONE DAMAGES

CHENNAI: An eight-member central team which arrived at Chennai on Saturday began the assessment works in the Chennai, Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur districts. The member team headed by Ashutosh Agnihotri was split into two teams and sent to different areas for damage assessment.

On Sunday, the team headed by Ashutosh Agnihotri carried out assessments in the South Chennai and Chengalpattu areas. South Chennai is one of the worst affected areas from cyclone Nivar and heavy rains due to cyclone Buveri. In the South Chennai areas like Mudichoor, Semmancheri the rain water has still not receded and in neighbouring Chengalpattu areas of Thiruporur, rain water is still preventing people from coming out of their residences. People in these two districts allege though the Committee visited their areas, they didn’t visit the worst affected areas and held meetings seeing the photographs produced by the district administration.

The other team comprising the rest of the members, toured parts in North Chennai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur Districts. The central team visited areas around the Ennore port where damage was caused by the cyclone Nivar.

Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Shanmugam appraised the team with the revenue department assessment and stated that the state has suffered damage to the tune of Rs 3,758 crore. The team is expected to meet Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami after completing the assessments.

The team is expected to travel to Puducherry on Monday and hold discussions with Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy. The Puducherry government has already calculated the damage as Rs 400 crore. The central team is then expected to travel to the worst affected districts like Chidambaram, Nagapattinam and Rameshwaram for detailed assessment. Normalcy has not returned in these districts as the rain continues to batter and at least 1,000 acres of agricultural fields are submerged still underwater. The Centre will release funds based on the reports submitted by the team submitting its final report to the government.