THOOTHUKUDI: A second batch of the central committee on Friday inspected the damage wrecked by the recent heavy rain across the Thoothukudi district and the subsequent spate in Thamirabarani river during the middle of last December. The seven-member team, comprising KP Singh, Ranganath Audam, R Thangamani, Dr Ponnusamy, Rajesh Tiwary, KM Balajee and A Vijayakumar, inspected breaches in rivers and tanks, damages to roads, bridges, commercial streets and residential areas due to flash floods.
The team took stock of the situation in the presence of Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration S K Prabakar, and visited Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital, Athibarasakthi Nagar and Om Sakthi Nagar in the Thoothukudi corporation area, and the temporarily established canals that drain out stagnant water from Mapilaiyoorani village to Periyapallam stream.
Further, the committee members inspected Murapanadu water pumping station, damaged roads, Srivaikuntam anaicut, flooded houses in Ponankurichi, Kadambakulam, breached ponds, damaged areas in Korampallam tank bunds, and Avudaiyarkulam tank, Meignanapuram PHC, Tiruchendur-Tirunelveli state highways, uprooted EB poles, towers, broken Eral bridge, and Eral taluk office. They also assessed the loss to shops and commercial establishments, besides, crop damages in Eral, Authoor, Srivaikuntam, Athimarapatti, and Agaram.
When the committee interacted with farmers in Athimarapatti, the latter urged the members to recommend crop-wise compensation for banana, paddy and other crops, as each has different cultivation costs, sources added. The committee also conducted a review meeting in the presence of Collector G Lakshmipathy, former collector Dr K Senthil Raj, commissioner Dinesh Kumar and others at the collectorate, and sought a report from the state officials. Previously, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman had also visited the flood-hit areas in the district.