Date:02/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/02/stories/2008120257200300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Flood-affected people to be given adequate compensation: Minister

Special Correspondent

At a loss: Farmers showing crops damaged by rain to Union Minister V. Narayanasamy near Andur village in Karaikal district.

KARAIKAL: All rain and flood-affected people in Karaikal would be given adequate compensation and measures would also be taken to ensure that farmers and fishermen get back their livelihoods, V. Narayanasamy, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning, said here on Sunday.

Mr. Narayanasamy, who was on a one-day visit to the district, met presspersons after touring rain-affected areas in Nedungadu commune and other places. He said that he would press the Centre to immediately dispense the Rs. 100-crore relief requested by Puducherry Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam. The relief amount would be used to rebuild damaged houses and compensate farmers and others for their losses due to the rains a few days ago and the floods that followed.

Asked about the continuing inundation of fields and villages in the district, he said that breaches in various canals and rivers in Tamil Nadu was the reason for it. The administration had spoken to the Nagapattinam Collector already, and work on plugging those breaches was already going on, he said.

Earlier, Mr. Narayanasamy’s convoy was blocked near Usuppur when irate villagers demanded immediate relief and villagers asked for restoration of power supply. The Minister said that all possible steps were being taken to lessen their suffering and promised immediate action.

The Minister visited different areas and said that he would recommend that a Central team be sent to assess damages at the earliest.

He also visited ex-CM P. Shanmugam at his home and paid his respects. The Minister was accompanied by District Collector N. Vasantha Kumar and other officials.