Nagapattinam: More than 1.77 lakh people, including 29,000 children, are staying in 252 relief camps in cyclone-Gaja hit areas of Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu Handlooms Minister O S Manian said Tuesday.
Relief works have been taken up on a war footing in the district, he said. “A total of 2.32 lakh trees had been uprooted in the cyclonic storm and we have cleared 1.99 lakh trees. Of the 46,000 electric poles that were damaged, 28,600 poles have been re-erected. Over 440 transformers have been replaced,” the minister said.
“About 6,200 personnel of the electricity department are working on power restoration works,” he said. More than 12,000 workers from other departments such as PWD, agriculture, horticulture, local administration, animal husbandry and health departments were engaged in relief works in the district, Manian said.
Rural development minister SP Velumani, senior IAS officers J Radhakrishnan and Gagandeep Singh Bedi were among those present at the review meeting.