‘Rain damages 101 transformers in Kanniyakumari district’

Farmers will be given due compensation, says Minister

Asserting that the farmers affected by recent rain and floods in Kanniyakumari district would get due compensation, Minister for Revenue K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran said the downpour had badly damaged 101 transformers in the district.

Speaking to reporters after visiting a few flood-hit areas along with Ministers T. Mano Thangaraj and V. Senthilbalaji and participating in a review meeting, he said the rains and floods had affected 101 transformers and snapped power connection to 3,661 houses. Even as the materials required for repairing the transformers and other infrastructure of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) were being rushed from Tirunelveli and Madurai regions, power connection to 2,922 houses had been restored.

Since rainwater was yet to recede in some flood-affected areas, repairing of 45 transformers and restoring power supply to 739 houses were delayed.

The rain had destroyed paddy cultivated on 35 acres while plantain and tapioca raised on 120 acres and 4.50 acres respectively had been submerged. Steps had been taken to drain the water stagnating in the plantain and tapioca fields. Vegetables cultivated on 2.50 acres had been badly damaged.

“The flood-hit farmers will get appropriate compensation on an early note as any delay in this connection will seriously affect their already wounded families,” he said adding 337 persons had been shifted to relief camps from low-lying areas.

Recalling the damages caused by the heavy downpour in the district in the last week of May, he said a report detailing the damages had been submitted to the State government. As per this report, ₹ 33 crore for Public Works Department, ₹ 27 crore for Highways Department, ₹ 99 crore for Nagercoil Corporation and ₹152 crore for Tangedco would be given shortly for carrying out repairs.

All municipalities in the district would get special assistance for repairing the infrastructure damaged by the floods in last May, he said.

He said that the district administration had been asked to closely monitor the situation even though rain had receded. The public representatives – right from the heads of village panchayats to the Member of Parliament – should extend their cooperation to the district and police administrations to neutralise the adverse situation.

Collector M. Aravind, Monitoring Officer for Kanniyakumari district Jothi Nirmala, Superintendent of Police V. Badrinarayanan, Corporation Commissioner Asha Ajit, Member of Parliament Vijay Vasanth, MLAs J.G. Prince and S. Rajesh Kumar participated in the review meeting.

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