After Central team meeting, CM inspects Cuddalore

Before starting to Cuddalore, the Chief Minister held a brief meeting with the Central team that inspected various parts of northern Tamil Nadu affected by Cyclone Nivar, for the past two days. The team explained about the places they visited and the Chief Minister after completing the meeting rushed to Cuddalore where he inspected damaged crops, roads and bunds of water bodies. 

Initially, the Chief Minister visited Thirunaraiyur village near Kattumannarkovil to inspect the damage caused by over flooding of a canal in the village which inundated the houses. 

Then Chief Minister proceeded to Salianthope to inspect submerged crops. More than 42,000 hectares of paddy, 500 hectares of banana crops, close to 200 hectares of flowers, more than 2,300 hectares of vegetables, more than 1,100 hectares of cotton and 6,202 hectares of maize were damaged due to Cyclone Burevi in Cuddalore district. 

The Chief Minister visited the fields where the crops were damaged and interacted with the farmers. Farmers and public presented their petitions to Chief Minister urging the state government to give compensation for the damaged crops and properties at the earliest. 

Then Chief Minister Palaniswami proceeded to Chidambaram, where the entire town was inundated by floods. Many of the roads and houses were damaged due to the floods and Chief Minister inspected three different localities in Chidambaram. He also inspected a damaged water body and directed the officials to repair them at the earliest. 

Sources said that after the inspection in Cuddalore, Chief Minister will inspect cyclone affected areas in Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur districts 

Cuddalore continues to be Achilles’ heel for Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority that has grown as a robust department since the infamous 2004 Tsunami. In the disaster management records of TN, Cuddalore is the worst affected cyclone-prone district in the past two decades. Tsunami in 2004, back to back cyclones – Thaane 2011, Nilam 2012, Gaja 2018, Nivar and Burevi in 2020 has not spared the district. The 2017 drought and 2020 flash floods, lack of employment and caste clashes have pounded the coastal Cuddalore district, said confirmed sources with State Disaster Management Authority sharing the details of disasters and damages suffered by Cuddalore. 

“The district continues to be economically backward and the present deluge had again robbed the agricultural prospects of dry arid land and for every two years Cuddalore witnesses loss of more than Rs 100 crore in terms of infrastructure and if the cyclone is severe the economic loss will be over Rs 300 crores,” said a senior government official adding that every year Cuddalore records monsoon related deaths. 

Top officers have been positioned in Cuddalore as nodal officers dating back to tsunami, but the geographic location of Cuddalore and the dry Gadilam river makes the district a tough terrain, said the official adding that the quality of public life in other economically backward districts like Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam and Villupuram has improved since 2000, but Cuddalore has not improved despite state government relief schemes. 

Farmers, livestock breeders and fishermen represent the sizable population in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam and they are the worst hit, another official noted. 

“Regimes and cyclones come and go and our life is pathetic when compared to other districts. The rivers are dry for most of the year and during monsoon there are flash floods and the relief provided by government is inadequate,” said Periya Thambi, a fishermen based in Parangipettai of Cuddalore.