TN Govt taking up rehabilitation work: District Collector

Cuddalore, Dec 25 (UNI) The Tamil Nadu Government has taken up tsunami rehabilitation works at a cost of Rs 15777.70 lakh in the district.

In a press release here today, District Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi said the funds was made available through the central and state governments besides the Asian Development Bank.

With this funds works for the construction of houses, schools, roads, drinking water facilites, among other things, were being taken up and the works were on the verge of completion, he added.

He said a radio alert system was introduced in 55 villages in the district and dredging work at a cost of Rs 14 crore was being taken up at the Cuddalore port.

Mr Bedi said the December 26, 2004 tsunami had taken away the lives of 610 persons, including 236 children in this district and 38 were still missing.

Altogether 99,704 persons from 20,677 families in the villages in the radius of 57 km were affected. As many as 948 cattles perished and 2,323 houses collapsed besides 415.25 hectares of cultivable land affected in the calamity.

He also said 193.47 hectares of fruit garden was damaged and 1,215 mechanised boats, 287 fishing nets, 169 boats and 203 catmarans and 284 boat engines were lost in the disaster.

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