The orders were issued by a division bench of Justices KK Sasidharan and PD Audikesavalu, on Tuesday after hearing a batch of PILs on Gaja. The petitioners sought the government to use all its machinery to help victims from Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.

The bench directed the Central team to file an interim report within two days, after the conclusion of inspection of the devastated districts. The Centre should consider the report and announce interim relief within one week from the date of receipt of report, the bench said.

It added that the compensation for fully damaged and partially damaged huts must be enhanced as requested by TN. In total, 64,978 huts were fully damaged and 30,352 partially affected.  “It should consider revising the ceiling for damaged fishing nets to Rs 25,000 and Rs 10, 000 for boats with outboard and inboard engines as per the request of the state government, which also sought enhanced compensation of Rs 10 lakh for each of the damaged mechanised boats, Rs 1.5 lakh for a vallam and Rs 65,000 for a catamaran,” bench added.

The bench while passing interim orders to the State government directed to provide tarpaulins to the needy as it could be used to temporarily cover the damaged roof of huts.

While commending Tangedco’s restoration work in the aftermath of Gaja, which uprooted 1,23,348 electric poles, the division bench said power supply should be restored in rural areas within one week. 

It further stated that power generators can be hired and used in those areas where power supply has not been restored so far. Relief camps should also be provided with gensets. Collectors of the cyclone hit districts were directed to provide gensets to village panchayats to ensure water supply to residents.

“Besides, milk, bread and other essential items, kerosene stoves and mosquito nets should be provided in adequate quantity. No household or affected people should be denied kerosene, food grains and other ration items for any reason, even on the ground of non-availability of PDS card,” the division bench said, adding, “More relief centres should be opened in rural areas and essential items like food, cloth, etc., must be provided. Tanker lorries should be engaged to supply water and the concept of ‘common kitchen’ should be kept alive till normalcy is restored.”

Further, the government must waive transport charge for moving relief material to cyclone-hit pockets. Superintendents of Police must provide assistance for transporting relief material to villages and other chosen destinations. The Principal Secretaries of health and Education departments were directed to extend the date for candidates of these districts taking NEET, for which the last date for submission of application was November 30.