A Rs.1,000-crore project of building one lakh concrete houses in cyclone-hit districts such as Cuddalore and Villupuram was the highlight of Governor K. Rosaiah's address to the Assembly on Monday.
Mr. Rosaiah, who delivered his first address as Governor since assumption of office in August, said the State would take up the construction immediately to replace the damaged huts in the districts. A detailed memorandum, spelling out the quantum of damage and seeking a special package of Rs.5,248 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund, had been submitted to the Centre.
Considering the extensive damage suffered by the districts, the Chief Minister had sanctioned Rs.850 crore for restoration, relief measures and disbursal of compensation, the Governor recalled. The very severe cyclonic storm, ‘Thane,' crossed the coast near Cuddalore on December 29.Mr Rosaiah appreciated the State government for using early warning systems to initiate preventive measures and for taking timely action for providing relief. During the northeast monsoon, 177 persons had died, Mr Rosaiah pointed out.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, her Ministerial colleagues, leaders of most of the Opposition parties including the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, Communist Party of India (CPI), CPI-Marxist and Congress were present.
Earlier, when the Governor began to deliver his address, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam legislators, led by M.K. Stalin, staged a walkout. Speaking to reporters outside the Assembly, Mr Stalin complained about the progress of relief works in cyclone-hit districts. A comprehensive programme would be unveiled in the State budget to deal with urban poverty. “Our efforts to mitigate rural poverty through dovetailing of various schemes like the National Rural Livelihood Mission and Pudhu Vazhvu project with State sector schemes will continue,” Mr Rosaiah said. On the front of urban development, the Governor said the government would continue to pay attention to solid waste management in an integrated manner, besides improving other public amenities like roads, streets and parks. The preparation of master plans in the expanded municipal corporations and municipalities would be carried out to ensure balanced and sustainable growth in urban areas. To ensure the effectiveness of the Skill Development Mission, the Government had decided to integrate various skill-building programmes of different departments. Speaker D. Jayakumar read out the Tamil version of the Governor's address. Midway through the speech, the House observed a two-minute silence at 11 a.m. on the occasion of Martyrs' Day.
