We are fully geared to tackle the situation, says Ramanathapuram Collector

The Ramanathapuram district administration has taken all precautionary steps to tackle any situation in the event of heavy rainfall, Collector Dinesh Ponraj Oliver said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at the Government Hospital in Ramanathapuram, the Collector said that the district has 180 fisher hamlets. Officials from multiple departments have identified 63 hamlets among them, which required support from the administration.

Relief centres within the town and along the coastal stretches have been identified and kept ready to accommodate needy people from the vulnerable pockets. Along with the revenue and police, the Health, Fire and Rescue Services and Fisheries Department officials were working in a planned manner.

Since the cyclone warning came in advance it had given ample time to get ready to tackle the situation. All the 39 vulnerable spots in the district were being closely monitored round-the-clock. "We have been getting reports from the zonal officers, based on which, actions are taken," Mr. Ponraj said.

Also read: ‘Administration fully prepared to handle possible heavy rainfall’

To another query, the Collector said that the boats have already been anchored. The fishermen were advised by the Fisheries Department to keep off from venturing into the sea until further orders.

As for the farmers, Mr. Ponraj said that they have been advised to stay in touch with the Agriculture Department officials since the last three days. The dos and donts to be carried out during the NE monsoon and in the wake of the cyclonic influence, have been disseminated to the farmers at the block levels. “Wherever, there was water logging in fruit/paddy crops, steps would be taken to drain them, so that standing crops remained intact,” he noted. The district had coconut groves spread over 8,500 hectares and the growers were advised to get insurance cover at the earliest, if they had not taken a policy.

Ventilators for GH

The Collector was in the Government Hospital to inaugurate the ventilators provided to the hospital by the Rotary Clubs through the Rotary Foundation. Thanking the Rotarians, he said that donating such useful equipment to the tune of Rs 26 lakh was welcome and appealed to the staff to maintain them well. The Hospital Dean Alli said that the ventilators would be very useful for inpatients in the emergency wards and among others.

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