Provide financial aid to Cyclone Ockhi-hit states: Rahul Gandhi writes to PM

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for financial aid for Cyclone Ockhi-hit Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the union territory of Lakshwadeep.

The raging cyclone, which hit the southern seaboard on November 29 and left a trail of destruction over the next few days in its wake, had killed at least 68 people.

Hundreds of fishermen were rescued from the stormy sea and shifted to makeshift shelters in joint operations by the navy, coastguards and the police.

Gandhi said that the affected areas need financial assistance to undertake rehabilitation and help cyclone-affected families.

"Request you to declare a comprehensive special financial package for Kerala, TN, Lakshwadeep to undertake rehabilitation and overall development of the coastal region," Gandhi said in the letter.

"I also emphasize the need to construct sea-walls and groynes in the vulnerable sea coasts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I am certain that the government will look into it and address these issues as top priority," the ANI news agency quoted him as saying in the letter.

According to an estimate, some 600 fishermen are still missing from Tamil Nadu and Kerala after Cyclone Ockhi.

Gandhi's letter to the PM comes after he toured the region to meet the families of the victims and to inspect the steps taken by the respective governments for rehabilitation of the cyclone affected people. He visited the region after his election campaigning concluded in Gujarat.