The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Assessment completed in three districts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Assessment completed in three districts

By Our Staff Reporter

The Central team interacting with an old lady in flood-hit village in Pattukottai taluk in Thanjavur district on Sunday. — Photo: R. ShivajiRao

THANJAVUR, DEC. 19. A Central team headed by D.S. Mishra, Joint secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, assessed the flood damage to crops and infrastructure in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts today.

Speaking to presspersons after touring Vikaramam near Pattukottai in Thanjavur district, Mr. Mishra said the team was thoroughly convinced of the gravity of the flood damage in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.

Crop, houses and roads had been badly damaged in the three districts.

"We have noted down our observations in the three districts for the past three days. On Saturday we spent the whole day assessing damages in Nagapattinam district. Today we assessed the damage in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts. Though we may not be able to visit each and every village, we have a sample of affected villages," Mr. Mishra said.

He said the team met people from all walks of life and members of Parliament, MLAs, local body representatives and heard their greivances.

"We received their petitions," he said.

The team would meet State Government officials in Chennai tomorrow and hold discussions with them. After that it would leave for Delhi and submit its report to the Centre.

The team saw samba crop damage at Sannanallur, Mudikondan, Seruvalur, Keelapanandudi, Tiruvarur, Thirukaravasal, Kachanam, Alathampadi, Thiruthuraipoondi and Muthupettai in Tiruvarur district.

In the afternoon, it visited Karisakadu, Nasuviniyar in Karunkulam, Vikaramam villages in Pattukottai area.

`12,000 h.a. damaged'

In a representation, J. Radhakrishnan, Thanjavur Collector, said samba crop on 12,000 hectares was damaged. Flood damages had been reported from all the eight taluks and 199 villages. A total of 187 huts were fully damaged and 3,216 huts partly damaged.

One hundred and forty one km of district roads and 127 km of the State Highway were damaged. There were 286 breaches in canals and rivers and 11 tanks. Twelve lives were lost. Compensation was paid to the kin of the deceased, he said.

The Tiruvarur Collector, P. Ekambaram, told the team that samba crop was damaged on 44,000 hectares.

The State Government had disbursed Rs. 3.6 crores as relief. Damages to roads had been estimated to be Rs. 8.47 crores and that to the Public Works department Rs. 6.28 crores.

Kamaraj, MP, G. Palanisamy, Thiruthuraipoondi MLA, and Sivapunniyam, Mannargudi MLA, met the team at Thiruthuraipoondi and submitted petitions.

The team comprised K. Manoharan, Director, Directorate Tobacco Development, I. Dhanraj, Chief Medical officer, Regional Directorate of Health and Family welfare, Chennai, and R.N. Sarangi, Deputy adviser, Planning Commission.

Mr. Jagmohan Singh Raju, Commissioner of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu Government, accompanied them.

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