PCC(I) chief seeks speedy cyclone relief measures

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, DEC. 4. Mr. V. Narayanaswamy, president of the Pradesh Congress(I) Committee, has urged both the Central and State governments to make expeditious assessment of the impact of the November 30 cyclone in Pondicherry.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Mr. Narayanaswamy said extensive damage had been caused to the paddy crop, sugarcane and bananas. Fishermen had borne the brunt of the fury of nature.

He said the Chief Minister had taken up spot visits for assessment of the impact of the cyclone. But the relief works should be geared up and the Central and State governments should spare no efforts to restore normalcy.

He said he had called on the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, and the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Nitish Kumar, and had sought an interim relief to Pondicherry to tackle the situation.

The Congress(I) leader said the Home Minister had assured him that a Central team would be deputed soon to Pondicherry for an assessment of the loss of paddy crops and also sufferings of farmers and others. Huts had been lost in a number of villages and coastal pockets. Coconut trees had been largely affected.

The AICC(I) president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, whom he met in New Delhi a couple of days ago had also promised to release funds from out of the Calamity Relief Fund maintained by the party, to the Pondicherry Administration.

JD(S) leader`s appeal

Mr. E. Ganesan, president of the reconstituted committee of the Janata Dal (Secular), said the Administration should waive the loans due from the farmers and fresh financial assistance should be made available to ryots to carry out their farm works.

He also demanded declaration of Pondicherry as a cyclone-hit pocket.The families of two persons who were killed in the cyclone should be paid liberal compensation. The largescale losses were suffered by farmers, particularly those who had cultivated sugarcane, bananas and coconut trees, and hence the government should initiate urgent measures to help those affected.

The Pondicherry State committee of the CPI(ML) has appealed to the Territorial Government to declare Pondicherry as cyclone-hit. Compensation to farmers for loss of crops should be fixed at Rs. 5,000 for an acre of land. Waiver of loans, distribution of 15 kg rice and 10 litres kerosene free of cost, immediate restoration of water supply, power supply, making available jobs for farm labourers hit by the cyclone and other such relief and rehabilitation works should be taken up, the leader of the party, Mr. S. Balasubramanian, said.

A subsidy of Rs. 2,500 for each hut lost in the cyclone, assistance for repair of fishcrafts, banning of display boards in gigantic shapes on important thoroughfares and also release of Rs. 250 crores by the Centre were the other demands of the party.

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