Cyclone Gaja: CM Palaniswami meets PM, seeks Rs 15,000 crore assistance

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappai K Palaniswami on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital and sought Rs 15,000 crore central relief package for relief and restoration works being undertaken in areas affected by cyclone Gaja.

"Cyclone Gaja caused huge destructions in Tamil Nadu. Today, I met the Prime Minister and explained the destruction caused by cyclone Gaja. I submitted a memorandum to him. We sought Rs 15,000 crore as assistance from the union government. As an interim relief to cyclone assistance, we requested for Rs 1,500 crore," Palaniswami told media after meeting Prime Minister Modi.

"We have also requested the Prime Minister to depute a central assurance team to undertake an assessment of damages caused by cyclone Gaja. The Prime Minister has assured for the same. A total of 12 districts in the state have been affected by the cyclone," he added. He also informed that as many as 63 people have lost their lives due to the cyclone and "we have established 556 camps in which more than 3.78 lakh people are staying."

Palaniswami's Delhi visit comes days after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin slammed the chief minister for not spending enough time with the cyclone victims. In response to the criticism, Palaniswami said, "How many places Stalin visited during his tour to the area? There were huge destructions, roads were completely damaged, uprooted trees fell on roads blocking the streets."

On Stalin's critical views of the chief minister's aerial survey of the destruction, Palaniswami said, "If we had taken the road route, we could not have assessed the destruction caused by cyclone Gaja."

On Tuesday, the state Chief Minister along with Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam visited Gaja-hit Pudukkottai area and distributed relief material to those residing in the relief camps.