Central team to be sent to Tamil Nadu to assess flood damage

The Centre on Tuesday said it would depute an official team on November 26 to assess the flood damage in Tamil Nadu.

In a statement issued here, the union finance ministry said: "The government of India is deputing a team of central government officials to Tamil Nadu on November 26, 2015 to make a first-hand assessment of the damage."

The finance ministry said a sum of Rs.939 crore has been released to Tamil Nadu.

On November 23, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had sent a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for central funding of Rs.8,481 crore towards flood relief.

She also asked for an immediate relief of Rs.2,000 crore.

Rains lashed four districts in Tamil Nadu -- Cuddalore, Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram -- in the past couple of weeks killing at least 169 people.

A letter has also been received from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, seeking central assistance in connection with flood damage, the finance ministry said.

According to the statement, a central team will also be sent to Andhra Pradesh as soon as a memorandum is received from the state.

For Andhra Pradesh, a sum of Rs.1,030 crore has been released during this fiscal towards disaster relief and also as a part of certain commitments made to the state consequent on the re-organisation of the erstwhile composite state, the ministry statement said.