Madurai, Dec 9 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi
K Palaniswami as sought Rs 3,700 crore assistance from
the Centre for cyclone relief works, Revenue and Disaster
Management Minister R B Udhayakumar said today.
Talking to reporters after distributing relief measures to
cyclone affected people, he said the Centre has so far
released Rs 650 for cyclone relief works.
Stating that the Central team which had visited the state
and made an on-the-spot assessment of the damages
caused by the Cyclone, would also submit its report to
the Centre along with their recommendations including
financial assistance.
Mr Udhayakumar said work on to assess the extent of
damage caused to crops across the State due to the
cyclone would commence soon.
He said Mr Palaniswami, without waiting for the Centre to
release the funds, decided to go ahead with providing the
compensation immediately to the needy.
On the handling of the the Cyclones Nivar and Burevi,
he said almost all the districts experienced heavy to
very heavy rains and they were handled with precision.
“We have learnt from the past and are clear about not
making any mistakes,” he added.
Noting that the proactive approach of the government in
handling Cyclones Nivar and Burevi had saved not only
the lives of people in low-lying areas, but also ensured
that the damage to vital installations was minimal, he
said Mr Palaniswami and his team worked round-the-
clock during the cyclone period by being in constant
touch with the field officials and helped in making quick
decisions.
Asserting that there was no immediate threat of any
cyclone or any warnings in Tamil Nadu as Cyclone Burevi
has weakened, the Minister termed as rumours, social
posts that “five fresh cyclones are going to hit the coastal
regions in Tamil Nadu.”
The public should not get carried away by such posts, he said,
adding, they they should look for authentic information from
government websites and the IMD forecast.
Mr Udhayakumar dismissed as political stunt, the criticism
by the Opposition DMK President M K Stalin that the state
government had handled the cyclonic situation poorly.
UNI GV 1647