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Cyclone Gaja: Death toll touches 45, Tamil Nadu CM Edapaddi Palaniswami to visit affected districts

Hindustan Times, Chennai | ByMC Rajan
Nov 18, 2018 05:11 PM IST

CM Edappadi Palaniswami said the state government has submitted a tentative report on the devastation caused by the cyclone and sought immediate release of funds to carry out relief.

With the toll in the cyclone Gaja touching 45 and the devastated coastal districts, reeling under distress having been turned into a wasteland, Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami said he would visit the affected areas on Tuesday.

The chief minister, who is in his native Salem district, told the media on Sunday that he had deputed 11 ministers and senior IAS officers to the affected districts to speed up relief measures and restoration works on a war footing.

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But he expressed his inability to visit the cyclone-hit places immediately on account of prior commitments. Earlier, he was scheduled to visit the areas on Sunday itself.

“Prior engagements have kept me occupied. Till tomorrow, I have commitments like inauguration of a bridge, opening up of new office buildings and so on in Salem and Namakkal districts. These programmes were fixed much earlier. Further, many affected places still remain cut off and work is on to clear the roads blocked all along by uprooted trees,” he said, explaining the difficulties in touring the places by road.

The chief minister said the state government has submitted a tentative report on the devastation caused by the cyclone and sought immediate release of funds to carry out relief measures.

The quantum of damage to every sector is being assessed and it is going up as only now the extent of destruction is coming to light, he said.

Listing the steps being taken by the administration, he said 378 medical camps have been set up besides 1,014 mobile units. “More people are coming to the camps and the number of those accommodated in the 483 camps has gone up to 2.49 lakh,” he said, but denied reports of lack of facilities or food in the relief centres.

On Thursday midnight, the cyclone made landfall near Nagapattinam. The intensity and ferocity of the storm which hit the coast at 120 kmph, was such that life was turned topsy-turvy in the Cauvery delta region and in a few districts in the hinterland. Many small towns and interior villages remain cut off.

Sporadic protests by locals demanding basic amenities and timely relief were reported at many places.

Meanwhile, leader of the Opposition and DMK president M K Stalin visited Pudukottai district, and met cyclone-affected people. On Saturday, he was in Nagapattinam district. He has urged the government to speed up relief works.

Gaja wreaks havoc in Kerala’s Ernakulam

Cyclone Gaja has wreaked havoc in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, where district officials said 201 houses — two fully and 199 partially — were damaged in the cyclone.

The estimated loss was Rs 38 lakh, they said, adding that several trees were uprooted in the cyclone, which also severely damaged power infrastructure.

Vehicular traffic, affected due to fallen trees in high velocity winds, has been restored.

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