Cyclone Gaja: HC to Monitor Relief Activities

Chennai, Nov 20 (PTI) Days after cyclone 'Gaja' lashed the Tamil Nadu coast, the Madras High Court Tuesday orally observed that one cannot expect authorities to restore everything overnight in cyclone-hit areas but said it would monitor the relief activities.

The observation came when the court was hearing a PIL filed by advocate Rajinikanth, seeking a direction to declare the cyclonic storm as a National Disaster under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

When the petition came up, a division bench comprising justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee orally observed: "We cannot expect the authorities to restore the disaster caused by Gaja cyclone overnight, in any case the court would monitor the relief activities."

The bench also observed that according to reports, the state government had already allocated Rs 1,000 crore for relief activities being undertaken by various departments in the affected districts.

The petitioner also wanted the court to direct the state to provide Rs 50 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased, Rs 10 lakh for loss of cattle/crops, and new concrete houses to families who lost their dwellings to the cyclone.

The bench directed the state to file a status report and adjourned the plea to November 22.

Cyclone Gaja crossed the coast near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district, about 300 km from Chennai, last Friday, leaving a trail of destruction in over 10 districts in the southern parts of the state, claiming 46 lives.

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