Cuddalore: A Central Team on Monday visited
the cyclone Thane hit Cuddalore district to assess the damage
and said it would submit its report in three days.
The nine-member inter-ministerial team led by Joint
Secretary in Union Home Ministry Lokesh Jha, toured various
localities devastated by the severe storm that crossed the
coast near here on December 30. District Collector V
Amudhavalli accompanied the team.
The district bore the brunt of the cylone fury which
claimed 39 lives, cut-off the electricity supply and caused
extensive damage to crops.
Talking to reporters at Melmampattu village after visiting
the affected areas, Jha said the total loss suffered due to
the cyclone had not yet been finalised by the district
administration.
He said the team, which yesterday conducted on-the-spot
assessment of the situation in Puducherry, also affected by
the cyclone, would submit its report to the Central Government
in three days.
He said the entire Cuddalore district had been badly hit by
the cyclone. The team members were informed by villagers that
houses and crops, including cashew and jackfruit trees, on
large extent of land had been destroyed.
Jha said the Central electricity division would help the
state government in restoring power supply in the district,
where thousands of electric poles were uprooted by the gale
force wind.
The affected people also pleaded with the central team that
they be provided with houses that could withstand rains and
cyclone.
The team comprised representatives of the Ministries and
Departments of Agriculture, Drinking Water, Finance, Health,
Power, Road Transport and Highways, Rural Development, Water
Resources, Planning Commission and National Disaster
Management Authority.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 09, 2012, 19:57