Cyclone Ockhi damages 4,501 houses in Kanyakumari; Tamil Nadu govt provides Rs 41 lakh as relief

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said a total of 4,501 houses in Cyclone Ockhi-hit Kanyakumari have suffered partial and full damage and relief to the tune of Rs 41 lakh has been provided in this regard so far.

A government release quoting Revenue Secretary B Chandramohan said 1,687 houses had been damaged completely while 2,814 houses suffered partial damage.

The assessment of the damaged houses was complete in the district, it said.

A relief of Rs 5,000 each has been deposited in the bank accounts of owners of 325 houses that were damaged completely, while 1,002 houses that suffered partial damage have been provided Rs 4000, totalling Rs 41 lakh, the release said.

The process of verifying the bank account details of the rest of the house owners who have suffered losses was on and once it was completed, the relief amount will be deposited within two days after that, it added.

Further, assessment of the extent of damage to paddy crops, coconut trees, plantain crops, rubber plantation and spices will be taken up from today by teams comprising officials from the departments of Revenue, Agriculture and Horticulture.

These efforts were being undertaken on ‘war-footing,’ Chandramohan was quoted as saying.

Last week, Cyclone Ockhi battered Kanyakumari, severely crippling normal life, particularly affecting scores of fishermen.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had visited the district on Sunday, reviewing the search and rescue operations of the missing fishermen by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force.

Senior officials of the state government are also camping in the district and overseeing the relief and rehabilitation efforts.