TN CM visits cyclone-hit areas, likely to meet PM on Thursday

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Tuesday visited the districts hit by Cyclone Gaja, distributed relief materials among the affected people and indicated he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this week to seek central assistance.

"We have sought appointment with him (Modi). We expect that it could be given day after tomorrow (Thursday). The state government will certainly take steps to get central funds and submit details of the damage with proof," Palaniswami told reporters here during his visit to Pudukottai and Thanjavur districts in the morning.

The cyclone crossed the coast near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district, about 300 km from Chennai, with a speed of up to 120 kmph last Friday, claiming 46 lives and leaving a trail of destruction in over 10 districts in southern Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, relief work was hampered after various parts of the Cauvery delta region, including the cyclone-hit Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur districts, were lashed by heavy rains since Tuesday morning