The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Many children orphaned in Nagapattinam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 30, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Many children orphaned in Nagapattinam

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUVARUR, DEC. 29 . Many children have been orphaned by Sunday's tsunami in Nagapattinam district, going by the number of children sheltered at various places in Tiruvarur district.

Many of those staying in relief camps said the children staying with them were not theirs, and they brought them here while escaping the devastation.

The Tiruvarur Collector, P. Ekambaram, who visited the shelters, enquired about children standing alone and was told that nothing was known about their parents. He ordered an enumeration of such children for working out a relief package.

When he spoke to a seven-year-old boy in a camp, he said his parents were not with him now. "I am thinking of adopting him." If the orphaned were enumerated, they could be handed over to those who wanted to adopt them. "We are paying more attention to children. We have made arrangements to provide milk to babies," he said.

"Though I asked many of the people to stay in the camp, they wanted to leave the camp. They wanted to establish contact with their relatives at Nagapattinam and to know the fate of those they had left behind. Hence, we permitted some to leave," the Collector said.

Social organisations and people have come out in large numbers to help the victims. They have provided clothes, food items, medicines and water packets. "We have asked them to contact the Personal Assistant to the Collector," Mr. Ekambaram said.

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