Wednesday, January 26 2005 19:26 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Government will soon announce its 'long term rehabilitation and restoration policy' for the Tsunami-hit people of the State, a top official of the Government said today (Jan 26, 2005).

"We are now in the process of consulting all the stake holders," R Santhanam, Relief Commissioner, said while addressing the "state level consultation on civil society partnership in post-Tsunami rehabilitation," organised by the Tsunami Relief, Rehabilitation, Coordination, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry committee in Chennai this evening.

Pointing out that the State Government had incurred an expenditure of Rs 240 crore on providing relief to the Tsunami victims, he said Government was keen to keep 'self-styled leaders' of different communities, and religious groups away from relief and rehabilitation works. 'We will not take their services into consideration as it is not possible.'

Santhanam, a senior IAS official, said in the last three years, the State had witnessed a series of disasters in the form of droughts, cyclones and floods and now Tsunami, which had claimed nearly 8000 lives. Nearly 70 to 80 per cent of the affected people were fisher-folk.

The senior bureaucrat said Chennai, Coimbatore and Nilgiris had now come under 'moderate risk zone' or 'zone-3' forcing the Government to be in a state of preparedness. 'We are now moving towards disaster management.'