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So far Rs 25 crore incurred on tsunami relief: Natwar

     Jakarta: External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh today said that so far Rs 25 crore have been incurred in carrying out relief work in various parts of the country hit by tsunami. He said the total death toll has already crossed the figure of 9500 and is likely to go up further as more than 5800 persons are still missing. In a statement delivered at the Special Meeting of Leaders of ASEAN convened in Jakarta in the wake of the December 26 tsunami tragedy, Singh said: "Till January 4 the Government of India had incurred an expenditure of 250 million dollars on the relief and rehabilitation effort within India." He added: "We have also given due importance to alleviating the psychological impact of the disaster through trauma counseling." Appreciating the efforts made worldwide in this regard, the minister said: "Other friends from across the globe have joined us. This vividly demonstrates the truth of the saying `Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'".

Financial loss in tsunami Rs 5322.05 crore (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: As per preliminary estimates, the total financial loss due to the tsunami disaster for Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Pondicherry has been estimated at Rs 5322. 05 crore. According to a press release, the figures for Tamil Nadu are Rs. 2730.70 crore, Andhra Pradesh Rs.720.73 crore, Kerala Rs. 1358.62 crore and Pondicherry Rs.512 crore. The detailed damage assessment for A&N Islands is being made. The A and N administration has evacuated people from smaller Islands to 8 Islands where relief efforts are concentrated. All relief camps in Nicobar are being run by the administration. A few camps in Andaman (Port Blair) are being run by Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Rama Krishna Mission and Marwari Association. The power supply in the A and N Islands is based on diesel gensets. 715 gensets have been sent and distributed to different Islands. Telephone lines in Andaman except Little Andaman (Hut Bay) are functional. Telephone lines in Car Nicobar, Kamorta are partially restored. Central paramilitary and defence personnel are helping in road clearance and other relief activities. There are no reports of epidemic. As per the field reports received by the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, 162 Kms. of National Highways and 462 Kms. of State/district Highways, 7 bridges and 34 culverts have been damaged due to Tsunami in all mainland States/UTs. Teams of officers were dispatched yesterday for repair of jetties and other structures.

Tsunami aid conference opens (Go To Top)

     Jakarta: World leaders opened an emergency summit today with a moment of silence for the tens of thousands of Štsunami victims, before focusing on the best way to rush nearly 4 billion dollars pledged worldwide to millions of survivors. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told the gathering that the world was in a race against time to get food, medicine and supplies to the neediest. According to The News, Annan appealed 1.7 billion dollars in disaster relief over the next six months for victims of the tsunami, but it wasn't immediately clear if that plea included the previous pledges or was a request for more.

Malaysia allows donor countries to use airspace, airports (Go To Top)

     Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has agreed to allow donor countries to use its airspace and airports as transit bases to send humanitarian aid for victims of the Tsunami catastrophe in Acheh, Indonesia. According to The News, Kuala Lumpur has granted permission to the United States, Britain, Australia and Japan to use the facilities, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak told local reporters Wednesday on a navy ship called "KD Mahawangsa" docked in Port Klang, 40 km west of here. Najib later witnessed the sailing of "KD Mahawangsa" to Aceh, carrying 550 tons of dry ration, drinks, clothing, medicines and heavy machinery. He said, these countries had sought Malaysia's permission to use the airspace and the Subang, Butterworth and Langkawi airports. "In principle, we have approved, but they have to write in officially to us first. We will inform them later," he said. The permission to use the airspace and airports was a gesture of Malaysia's cooperation with foreign countries to extend humanitarian aid to Acheh, the hardest hit in the natural calamity,he said.

     He said Malaysia had also agreed to participate in the UN Food Program in Aceh which entailed utilization of armed forces' assets and deployment of armed forces personnel. Najib, who is also the defense minister, said the decision to allow the armed forces to be involved in the program was made in Wednesday's weekly cabinet meeting. Among assets to be used are the C-130 transport planes which need to perform 200-hour flights a month for six months, Nuri helicopters, CN235 transport planes and "field hospital" equipped with operation theater facilities, according to Najib. Najib said the program also sought medical teams and armed forces' engineering squadrons to serve in Aceh. He said the government had not decided on the date and the number of personnel to be deployed for the program. "We are discussing the details now, we will announce later," he said. Malaysia has sent the first batch of rescue and humanitarian aid team to Acheh soon after the disaster. They will be replaced by a 103-member fresh team on Jan. 7. A volunteer team comprising 150 policemen will depart for Achehon Friday on board a C-130 transport aircraft.