Vardah moves to Karnataka, Kerala; TN CM sanctions Rs 500 cr for relief
Chennai: A day after it weakened into a well-marked low pressure, Cyclone Vardah has further moved and is now lying over South East Arabian Sea and adjoining coastal Karnataka and Kerala, the Regional Meteorological Centre said.
"Cyclone Vardah, which made the landfall on Monday, had weakened into a well-marked low pressure yesterday. It is now lying over Southeast Arabian sea and adjoining coastal Karnataka and Kerala," Regional Meteorological Centre Director S Balachandran told reporters in Chennai on Wednesday.
The severe cyclonic storm, the most intense to have hit the Tamil Nadu capital in two decades, left 18 persons dead and snapped communication lines disrupting normal life.
On the amount of rainfall received across Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, Balachandran said Athoor recorded a maximum of six cm while Panchapatti in Karur district recorded one cm.
On the forecast for the next 24 to 48 hours, he said light showers may occur in one or two places across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
For Chennai and neighbourhood, the sky condition is likely to be cloudy during the next 24-48 hours, he added.
Meanwhile, a day after he sought Rs 1,000 crore from the Centre for rehabilitation efforts, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Wednesday allocated Rs 500 crore for relief and infrastructure works in regions ravaged by Cyclone Vardah.
Of the Rs 500 crore, Rs 350 crore would be allocated to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), Rs 75 crore to Chennai Corporation, Rs 25 crore to Highways department while Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur district administration would each get Rs 10 crore to take up relief works, Panneerselvam said in an official release in Chennai.
As cyclone Vardah made its landfall on Monday, Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts were the worst hit as several trees were uprooted and electricity supply disrupted, he said.
Various government departments have taken up restoration works on war footing, Panneerselvam said.
Earlier, he chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat in which senior Ministers, Chief Secretary, Advisor to Government, DGP and Department Secretaries, participated.
"Based on discussions at the meeting, I have issued orders to allocate Rs 500 crore to provide relief assistance to people and to take up infrastructure works in the affected areas," he said.
Among others, he said Rs 10 crore would be given as financial assistance to fishermen community, Rs seven crore to public work department, Rs three crore to health department,
Rs 50 lakh to repair dairy farms that were affected and Rs five crore to police department to restore traffic signals.
The government allocated Rs two crore to the transport department to renovate damaged buses and bus terminuses.
As several trees at the famous Anna Zoological Park also were uprooted, the government allocated Rs 2.50 crore to the Forest department to take up restoration works at Zoo and those parks that were affected.
