CHENNAI : Considering the unprecedented heavy rain which has brought normal life to a standstill in neighbouring Kerala, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday scaled up the relief being extended by an additional contribution of five crore towards the relief works in flood-affected areas. On August 9, a contribution of Rs five crore was made.Besides, he also announced that 500 tonnes of rice, 300 tonnes of milk powder, 15,000 litres of UHT milk, dhoties, lungies, 10,000 bedsheets and essential medicines worth `one crore would be despatched to Kerala immediately.
Apart from these, teams of doctors and veterinarians would be deputed to Kerala.
Palaniswami also formed a team of senior IAS officers headed by Commissioner of Revenue Administration K Satyagopal and comprising Santhosh Babu and Darez Ahmed to coordinate dispatch of relief materials to Kerala.Stating that so far more than 300 persons had lost their lives due to heavy rain and floods in Kerala, the Chief Minister conveyed the condolences on behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu and the State government. He said, so far, relief materials worth many crores of rupees, collected from the public had been sent to Kerala by the respective district administration. This would continue in the coming days too.
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Meanwhile, Health Minister C Vijaya Baskar, in an official release here said 25 lakh doxycycline and antibiotic tablets, to prevent communicable diseases, that could be caused by floods, five lakh chlorpheniramine tablets, one lakh ointment tubes, essential medicines, six lakh hand gloves, chlorine tablets and bleaching powder to purify drinking water, all worth `one crore have been despatched to Kerala via Palakkad and Tirunelveli.
He also said Deputy directors of health department have been directed to provide medical assistance to people affected by floods in districts bordering Kerala - The Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Dindigul, Theni, Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari.