Cyclone Fengal: Puducherry CM Rangasamy seeks Rs 614.88 crore from Centre
Rangasamy outlined the sector-wise damages caused by the cyclone and torrential rains in the Puducherry and Karaikal regions.
Puducherry CM N Rangasamy
PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy sent identical memoranda to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday, seeking an interim allocation of Rs 614.88 crore in central relief.
The funds are intended to help the territorial government address the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal and the "unprecedented rains", which have caused extensive damage across the Union Territory.
In his memoranda, a copy of which was distributed to the media, Rangasamy outlined the sector-wise damages caused by the cyclone and torrential rains in the Puducherry and Karaikal regions.
He stated that the administration's assessment estimated the damages across agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, electricity, health, PWD, the Local Administration department, forests, and other sectors to total Rs 614.88 crore.
The Chief Minister also requested the Prime Minister to depute a central team "immediately" to assess the damage caused by the cyclone and heavy rainfall.
"This is a tentative report, and the territorial government urgently requires Rs 614.88 crore to begin relief and rehabilitation efforts, as the State Disaster Relief Fund does not have sufficient balance," the CM said.
Referring to the steps taken by the territorial government in the wake of the cyclone and heavy rainfall, Rangasamy said most of the working population has lost their livelihood.
"I have announced a relief of Rs 5,000 for each ration card holder under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. A sum of Rs 177 crore is required for this purpose," he added.
Rangasamy, in his memorandum, also highlighted his visits to rural areas of Puducherry, and said, "Most of the roads have been severely damaged", requesting the Centre to release Rs 427 crore as "a special case to relay roads in urban and rural areas of the Union Territory." He also claimed that the release of excess water from the Sathanur and Veedur dams in neighbouring Tamil Nadu between December 1 and 4 led to subsequent flooding in the Puducherry region.