Chennai: Chief minister J. JayalÂaliÂthaa on Wednesday handed out a solatium of Rs 7 lakh to family members of each of the 14 persons from the stÂaÂte who had gone missing duÂÂrÂing flash floods in UttÂaÂraÂÂkhand during June 2013, a release said.
The flash floods that had ravaged the northeastern part of the country including several top pilgrim desÂtiÂÂnations at Badrinath and Kedarnath left 657 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu stranded.
The state government imÂmediately dispatched a distress management team headed by the special repÂreÂÂsentative for Tamil Nadu government from New DelÂhi to coordinate the rescue and relief operations in the affected regions.
Barring the 14 missing persons, all other pilgrims and tourists from the state were rescued and brought baÂck to Chennai at the exÂpense of the state government and were later sent to their hometowns. The state government had also offÂered an assistance of Rs 5 crÂore to Uttarkhand for the rescue and relief operatioÂns taken up on a war-footing.
Also, the state had anÂnoÂunced a solatium of Rs 3.50 lakh from the chief minister’s relief fund for each of the victims’ families. The central government had also announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh to each of the victims as part of the Prime Ministers Relief Fund while the UttarÂakÂhaÂnd government had annÂounced an additional Rs 1.5 lakhs
Combining all the relief amounts, the chief minister handed out cheques for Rs 7 lakh to the kin of the victims. The total relief amÂÂount sums up to Rs 98 laÂkh, the release added.
