Tamil Nadu - Nagapattinam   

"Create jobs in tsunami-hit areas"

S. Ganesan

Rehabilitation programmes done smoothly and wholeheartedly: Kalam

BRINGING HOPE: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam interacting with tsunami-affected children at Annai Sathya Government Orphanage, Kadampadi, in Nagapattinam district on Thursday. — Photo: M. Moorthy

NAGAPATTINAM: Rehabilitation measures for the tsunami affected should not end with the provision of permanent shelters but go beyond to focus on creating employment potential by establishing physical, electronic and knowledge connectivity to the villages of Nagapattinam, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, has said.

Winding up a whistle-stop tour of the tsunami-affected areas and an inspection of the ongoing rehabilitation measures here on Thursday, Mr. Kalam said permanent shelters were most immediate and important need of the people. People were anxious that the permanent shelters were ready before the onset of monsoon. "I request the district administration to push through the work," he said.

At the same time, construction could not be rushed through as the beneficiaries should like the location and the designs, he said answering a query on the problems faced in identifying the land for the construction of the houses.

Economic development

Stressing the need for spurring economic development in the district, Mr. Kalam said the object could be achieved by providing urban amenities to rural areas (PURA).

Suggesting the laying of a "circular road" to promote economic development, he said this would help big educational, medical and other institutions to be located here. Electronic networking and knowledge connectivity were also essential, he said.

Asked for an assessment of the rehabilitation process, the President said the programmes had been done smoothly and wholeheartedly.

The people and the Government had jointly succeeded in this direction. Mr. Kalam said the people, with whom he had extensive interaction, told him that the rehabilitation programmes were progressing well and there was tremendous help from the Government side and as well as from the NGOs.

"Overwhelmed" by the experiences of the day, Mr. Kalam said though many families undergone much suffering due to the loss of kith and kin, they displayed a strong will power to overcome the adversity.

Responding to a query on the tsunami early warning system that the Centre had proposed to put in place, Mr. Kalam said he had suggested that the Indian system be linked with the Pacific system used by a group of 23 countries.

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