Chennai: More than the floods, the gusty winds had caused havoc when the tropical cyclone Vardah lashed Tamil Nadu on December 12. And strangely, when the Central visits the state for an “on the spot assessment” of damage due to the cyclone, it may end up seeing a normal life sans evidence of the cyclone.
With power cables re-laid or mended and uprooted trees cleared in the city and suburbs, a normal life may stare at the Central team, which will visit TN next week.
The state government under Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam managed the massive restoration work on war-footing. JCBs and trucks were engaged to remove the trees that were either uprooted or blown away by Vardah in houses or the lanes and the sanitary workers had even cleaned the roads of the filth.
Vardah had claimed 16 human lives besides uprooting 12,000 trees in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts on a single day. In addition, about 1,388 huts were completely damaged and 5,739 huts were partly damaged.
For its part, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai, restored the bus services and had even repaired about 208 buses that were damaged by the cyclone.
The Tangedco too had acted swiftly and ensured normalcy despite 450 transformers, three 230 kv sub stations and 10,000 electric posts getting damaged in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts due to the falling of trees.
Mr Panneerselvam who announced a solatium of '4 lakh each to the kin of all those dead due to the cyclone, also ordered compensation to those who lost their dwellings. According to sources, the state government is likely to make a video presentation of the damage to the inter-ministerial Central team.
