Narayanasamy calls for enhancement of cyclone assistance

Former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy called upon the government in the Union Territory to immediately increase the assistance for those affected by Cylcone Fengal in Puducherry and Karaikal.

In a video message, the Congress leader said that the Chief Minister’s “hasty” announcements of providing ₹5,000 to ration card-holders and ₹30,000 per hectare to farmers and ₹10,000 to fishermen, to cover the damage caused to boats and as compensation for the affected crops, were grossly inadequate and unacceptable.

He said that Chief Minister N. Rangasamy should allocate ₹10,000 in the first phase of relief to ration card-holders, as those in the below poverty line (BPL) category were badly affected by the cyclone-induced disruption of work. He also demanded a relief of ₹25,000 per acre for farmers.

Mr. Narayanasamy alleged that inadequate precautionary measures by the government and the lack of cohesion among Ministers in tackling an extensively tracked cyclone, coupled with the unprecedented volume of rainfall, had aggravated the sufferings of all categories of workers.

He said that the instances where a couple of Ministers faced public ire while inspecting relief measures was reflective of the inadequate handling of the crisis.

The Congress leader blamed the government for not focusing on the communities that are worst-hit in the cyclone such as fishermen, farmers, street vendors and daily wage workers. During visits by Congress leaders before and after the cyclone, fishermen in places such as Vaithikuppam and Solai Nagar had complained that they had been out of work for over a week and their fishing gear were left exposed to the cyclone. He called for doubling the relief to fishermen.

Floodwater had entered the homes in low-lying areas at Kamaraj Nagar, Muthialpet, Mudaliarpet, Uppalam, Ariyankuppam and Lawspet. Residents stranded at heavily waterlogged sites have complained that they were running out of essential provisions, he added.

Published - December 04, 2024 12:36 am IST