Eight-member central team to visit Ockhi-hit areas in TN

An eight-member central team will visit parts of Chennai and Kanyakumari district to assess the damage caused by cyclone Ockhi, tomorrow, officials said.
The team is headed by Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, Joint Secretary in the Union Home Ministry.
While four members will visit Kanyakumari, the others will take stock of the situation in Chennai and its neighbouring areas.
The team members are drawn from various central ministries like Finance, Power and Water Resources, according to officials.
The team is likely to hold discussions with chief minister K Palaniswami on Friday.
The state government had sought a central relief package of about Rs 9,300 crore from Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards taking up rehabilitation efforts in cyclone-hit areas of the state, including Kanyakumari, during his visit to the district post-Ockhi.

The state government had wanted the Centre to declare the cyclone as a "national disaster" on account of its "severity."
It sought Rs 5,255 crore assistance towards implementing permanent rehabilitation measures in Kanyakumari and another Rs 4,047 crore to cater to other parts of the state, including Chennai, affected by the north east monsoon.