DMK to disburse Rs 50 Lakh for cyclone-hit

PUDUCHERRY: DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Wednesday said Rs 50 lakh from the DMK Trust would be allotted as financial assistance to  those affected by Cyclone Thane in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.He announced this during his visit to the cyclone-affected areas in Puducherry and Cuddalore and added that the party functionaries would disburse the assistance to the affected people.Karunanidhi said the cyclone has caused extensive damage to many areas and had destroyed the crops, trees and houses in various places in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.He urged the Central and the State governments to extend relief at the right time and only then it would benefit people to tide over the crisis they were facing.Earlier, before reaching Puducherry, he visited Marakkanam in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu. Local DMK unit leaders welcomed him at Kanagachettikkulam in UT border. Former education minister and party’s deputy convenor S P Sivakumar,  party MLAs A M H Nazeem, Nanda Saravanan , treasurer Annibal Kennedy, youth wing convenor R Shiva received the party chief at the border.Karunanidhi rested at a private hotel before proceeding to Bahour, which also suffered much damage during the Cyclone Thane.People in the area the gathered in good numbers and accorded a traditional welcome with womenfolk carrying paddy and banana saplings. The people stood on both sides of narrow roads of Bahour to have a glimpse of the DMK chief, who waved at them before proceeding to Cuddalore.