NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called up Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and took stock of the situation relating to floods in the state.
During the telephonic conversation, PM Modi also assured all possible help from the Centre.
This comes after Cyclone Fengal wreaked havoc in the state affecting almost 1.5 crore people.
Earlier, Stalin urged PM Modi to release Rs 2,000 crores from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for restoration and rehabilitation work.
The chief minister said the cyclone inundated 2.11 lakh hectares of farmland and damaged critical infrastructure in the state.
“Cyclone Fengal has wreaked unprecedented havoc across 14 districts of Tamil Nadu, affecting 1.5 crore people, inundating 2.11 lakh hectares of farmland, and damaging critical infrastructure. Given the magnitude of destruction, I urge Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release Rs 2000 crore from the NDRF immediately to aid emergency restoration and rehabilitation efforts,” Stalin posted on X.
CM Stalin also announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the families of seven people who lost their lives in a landslide due to heavy downpour in Thiruvannamalai district.
“I express my deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of those who died in this accident and have ordered that each of the families of the deceased be provided with Rs. 5 lakhs each from the Chief Minister’s General Relief Fund,” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said in a press release.
The after effects of the cyclone are also expected to bring heavy rainfall to some districts of Tamil Nadu.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rain alert for Tuesday in several parts of south India, including North interior Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
According to the IMD, the low-pressure area is likely to emerge into the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea off the north Kerala-Karnataka coasts around December 3.
