Rs 6,000 relief to flood affected people in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli: Stalin

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said efforts are also being taken to rescue people from marooned villages at the earliest.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday announced that people affected due to unprecedented extremely heavy rainfall in Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts will be provided with Rs 6,000 as one-time assistance.

The Tamil Nadu CM also said the relief amount for people affected in Tenkasi and Kanyakumari districts will be Rs 1,000 as the damages there were not huge. 

Making the announcement in Tirunelveli after visiting affected areas in the city and in Thoothukudi, Stalin said the rainfall in the two districts was huge and much more than what was predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

He said some areas in Thoothukudi have been affected badly and that efforts are on to restore normalcy in the two districts very soon. 

Briefing reporters about the steps taken by the government after the rains and subsequent floods, Stalin said he rushed 10 ministers and 10 IAS officers to the two districts immediately after hearing about the rains and that teams from the NDRF, SDRF, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services, and Indian Army are involved in rescue and relief operations. 

“Considering the heavy damages, the government will provide Rs 6,000 as one-time assistance to people in flood affected areas in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts based on their ration cards. In other taluks in the two districts and in Tenkasi and Kanyakumari, affected people will get Rs 1,000,” Stalin said.

He added that the State government has sought Rs 2,000 crore as interim relief from the Union Government to carry out relief operations in the two districts. Stalin also said efforts are being taken to rescue people from marooned villages at the earliest.