Central team to visit TN next week to assess Vardah damage

A Central government team led by Praveen Vashista, Joint Secretary (LWE) in the Home Ministry will visit Tamil Nadu next week for an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused by the massive December 12 cyclone Vardah.

Vashista will be accompanied by senior officials of Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Rural Development, Industries, HRD, Health and Family Welfare, Power, Road, Transport and Highways, and Water Resources, an official statement said.

According to sources, besides visiting the areas and assessing the damage, the Central team will also meet top officials of the State government.

Earlier this week, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam was in New Delhi, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought Rs 22,500 crore as assistance for cyclone relief and restoration works.

Last week, speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the Zero Hour, former Union Minister P. Chidambaram urged the Centre to respond quickly to Tamil Nadu’s request for financial assistance.

“I compliment the Government for positioning the NDRF in advance. I also compliment the Government for making available Army columns for rescue. What they have done is good, but more needs to be done. The first thing they should do is respond to Tamil Nadu’s request for financial aid” he said.