Chennai: For the second consecutive day, back to back meetings were conducted at Ripon Buildings, the city civic headquarters, with senior ministers and government secretaries reviewing the progress of relief works.
According to informed sources, the state officials are now preparing a detail draft to be submitted to the union government so that the centre can be insisted to deploy a central team to visit Chennai and review the damage cyclone Vardah had caused. To a query on whether the state will consider providing compensation for those who had lost their belongings, a senior official said, “as of now there is no such idea for the government to provide compensation for cyclone-hit victims. Cash assistance relief for the deceased is already issued and the prime focus is to address the power restoration and clearing of uprooted trees. Based on the Centre’s assistance, our next course of action will follow”, the informed official said confirming that the state has requested the Centre to dispatch its central team.
Minister for electricity P Thangamani, municipal administration minister S. P. Velumani and fisheries minister D. Jayakumar enquired about the progress made by government department staff in restoring Chennai. Top officials from Chennai metro water, highways, electricity board and corporation attended the meeting. Later in the day CM secretary Vijayakumar, municipal administration secretary K Phanindara Reddy and corporation commissioner D Karthickeyan went in to a huddle.
