Relief to flood affected will be paid soon: Jayalalithaa

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa on Monday and a total sum of Rs.700 crore has been paid towards flood relief to the affected people/families till date and the balance will be paid before January 11.

She said 421 people lost their lives due to drowning in rivers/tanks, lighting strikes, and wall collapses and other rain related incidents during the northeast monsoon rains between October 28-December 31, and a sum of Rs.400,000 has been paid to the families of 245 of them.

The relief amount would be distributed to the remaining families soon, she said in a statement issued here.

She said the survey of rain damages has been completed, and it was found that 493,716 huts were totally damaged due to rain and floods and 25,48,152 houses/huts suffered losses as they were marooned.

Jayalalithaa said details of 14,00,000 families have been computerised and flood relief amount would be credited to their bank accounts soon.

Relief amount was distributed to five people on Monday.

The chief minister said compensation to the tune of Rs.29.48 crore has been paid into the bank accounts of 68,350 farmers towards the crop loss due to rains.

Heavy rains -- the worst in a century -- battered Chennai and adjoining Kanchipuram, Cuddalore and Thiruvallur districts between October-December 2016 resulting in unprecedented floods.