The State government has sought nearly Rs.5,250 crore from the Centre for restoration works in areas battered by cyclone ‘Thane'.
Around Rs.1,210 crore is for immediate restoration works and the rest for permanent restoration, according to official sources.
Last year, the State had requested the Centre for Rs.1,832 crore towards additional relief from the National Calamity Relief Fund. The amount sanctioned was around Rs.320 crore.
Emerging from a two-hour long discussion with the top brass of the Tamil Nadu government at the Secretariat, Lokesh Jha, leader of the nine-member Central team, told reporters that the State government had submitted a memorandum.
Mr. Jha said the team would take two to three days to cover the storm-hit areas. It would visit Puducherry on Sunday and Cuddalore, the next day. On Tuesday, Villupuram and parts of other districts, including Thanjavur, would be covered.
Debendranath Sarangi, Chief Secretary; R. Rajagopal, Principal Secretary (Revenue); K. Gnanadesikan, Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration; and K. Shanmugam, Principal Secretary (Finance), were among those who represented the State government.
Other members of the Central team are: K. Manoharan, Director in-charge, Tobacco Development in the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation; A. Muralidharan, Senior Research Officer, Planning Commission; R. Sundramurthi, Superintending Engineer, Water Resources Ministry; Digvijay Mishra, Superintending Engineer, Ministry of Road and Transport Highways; D. Palanivelu, Senior Regional Director, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Vivek Goel, Director, Central Electricity Authority; R.J. Dutta Choudhary, Deputy Adviser, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation; and P. Paul Pandiyan, Executive Director in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries.
