Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday began his tour of cyclone Ockhi affected areas of Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The Prime Minister, on a one-day visit, would review the situation arising in the aftermath of the cyclone and status of relief operations at Kavaratti, Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram, official sources said.
The cyclone that hit the state on November 29-30 had also caused large-scale damage to crops and property. According to government estimates, 70 persons have so far lost their lives in Kerala in the cyclone and around 105 persons are still missing.
The Kerala Chief Minister had earlier met Union Home minister Rajnath Singh and sought central assistance of Rs 1,843 crore. The state also wanted the Centre to declare the devastation caused by the cyclone as a national disaster.
Here are the highlights from PM Modi's tour of Cyclone Ockhi affected regions:
05:27 pm:
04:21 pm:
2:05 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi received by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in Trivandrum. PM Modi to visit Cyclone Ockhi affected areas.
1:45 pm: School students greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in Lakshadweep's Kavaratti
1:40 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met families of victims affected by CycloneOckhi in Lakshadweep's Kavaratti
10:25 am: PM Modi chairs a review meeting on the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi in Lakshadweep
8:15 am: Mangalore (Karnataka): Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for Lakshadweep to visit Cyclone Ockhi affected areas
7:00 am: PM Modi's arrival in Mangalore, hours after registering victory in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections, was met with cheers. His supporters gathered at the runway and chanted 'Modi-Modi' as he made his way into the airport.
6:50 am: PM reached Karnataka's Mangalore late on Monday night. He is scheduled to take a tour of cyclone Ockhi affected areas of Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu and Kerala today.
Today's tour
PM Modi is scheduled for Tuesday is tightly packed. He is expected to fly to Agatti from Mangaluru at around 7.35 AM and leave for Kavratti.
After nearly an hour’s programme, he would return to Agatti and fly to Thiruvananthapuram, official sources in Lakshadweep said.
On reaching the state capital at around 1.50 PM, he would take a helicopter to Kanyakumari, where he will meet officials and assess the damage caused by the cyclone. The Prime Minister would also get a first hand report from the some of the affected fishermen, district officials at Kanyakumari told PTI.
Modi would return to Thiruvananthapuram and visit Poonthura, a nearby fishing village from where some of the deceased fishermen hailed.
The Prime Minister would then meet Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and some of his cabinet colleagues, including revenue minister E Chandrasekharan and Fisheries minister J Mercykutty at the Raj Bhavan, according to sources in the Chief Minister’s office.
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(With inputs from agencies)
