Panneerselvam to meet PM, seeks assistance over Cyclone Vardah

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday for support to meet the losses caused by the cyclonic storm, Vardah, which hit northern Tamil Nadu on December 12.
 
He will also hand over letters requesting the Bharat Ratna award to the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
 
In an announcement on Sunday, the Tamil Nadu government said Panneerselvam would also give detailed memorandum with various other requests for the state.
 

He will also hand over a letter to the Prime Minister with request for a bronze statue of Jayalalithaa in Parliament.

 
The state government has earlier sought the Centre to release Rs 1,000 crore immediately from the National Disaster Response Fund, for the state to assist rehabaliation work. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister said a severe cyclonic storm Vardah hit the northern Districts of Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram leaving in its wake a trail of destruction and causing further damages in the Districts of Vellore, Thiruvannamalai and  Dharmapuri.
 
He said that more than 15,000 persons from identified vulnerable and low lying areas were evacuated to 104 relief camps and provided with food, water, medical services and other essential services. Almost 16 lives have been lost due to the cyclone. The cyclone uprooted more than 12,000 trees disrupting traffic in the entire city and its suburbs.

 
It caused extensive damage to road infrastructure including attendant road furniture. Due to the extensive damage caused to transmission lines, sub-stations, transformers and distribution lines, power supply was cut off in almost the entire city of Chennai as well as large parts of Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur Districts. More than 10,000 electric poles have been mangled and more than 800 transformers damaged.
 
Extensive damage has been caused to huts, drinking water infrastructure and sewerage facilities.
 
The state will carry a detailed exercise to assess the damages and the requirement of funds for immediate relief and restoration is being carried out.

 
The Chief Minister has also asked earlier to the Prime Minister to depute a team from the Government of India to study the extensive damages caused by the cyclonic storm. Further, as a number of relief, rehabilitation and immediate reconstruction measures have to be undertaken by the Government of Tamil Nadu along with the urban and rural local bodies in the area affected by the cyclone, which is beyond the funds available in the State Disaster Response Fund.
 
The Chief Minister will return to Tamil Nadu on Monday itself.