Cyclone Thane hit Andhra and Tamil states

Nksagar-Sagar Media Inc: 3 Jan 2012:

Cyclone Thane’s powerful 140 kmph  winds along with torrential rains battered fishing villages overnight Friday leaving a trail of destroyed homes, uprooted trees, and power outages on the Tamil Nadu coast and the territory of Puducherry .

As holidaymakers in the French town tourist area of Puducherry celebrated New Year’s,Thane swept through the Tamil Nadu coast in India on Friday morning, death rose to 46 on Saturday.

Cyclone Thane hit the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry Friday morning but turned southward after landfall, severely affecting Cuddalore.

Chidambaram scheduled to tour the cyclone affected areas in Puducherry on Sunday but cancelled due to inclement weather.Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to inspect cyclone Thane ravaged villages in the union territory of Puducherry on Tuesday.  Chidambaram said as per information provided to him by Puducherry government around 17,012 hectares of paddy fields and also coconuts, bananas, casuarinas and sugarcane had been damaged besides 80,000 huts and 124 power transformers.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said she had ordered release of Rs.200,000 each to the families. Thane toll, the 35 deaths in Tamil Nadu, four deaths were reported in Kerala and seven in Puducherry mainly due to electrocution, falling of trees and collapse of roofs or walls. Cyclone Thane hit the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry Friday morning but turned southward after landfall, severely affecting Cuddalore.
 DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M.Karunanidhi on  Wednesday tour the state's districts devastated by Cyclone Thane, the party said on Monday.Former party legislator T Velmurugan , demanded the army to be called in to carry out for relief and rehabilitation.
 DMK spokesperson said Karunanidhi will visit the Cuddalore, Thiruvarur and Villupuram districts that were affected by Cyclone Thane that crossed the Tamil Nadu coast Friday. 
"Around 2.5 million people in the Cuddalore district have not been getting basic necessities like drinking water and milk for the past four days. The government is focussed on clearing the main roads but have not looked at other areas. All the electric poles have been uprooted in the district and it needs army personnel to carry out the restoration work at the earliest," Velmurugan told IANS.
"It is going to be a difficult task for many cashew and jackfruit farmers as all the trees have been uprooted by Cyclone Thane that packed a speed of around 140 kmph when it crossed the Cuddalore coast Friday morning.""Nearly 50,000 acres of cashew farms has been uprooted by the cyclone. It takes at least 15 years for a cashew tree to grow and bear the fruit. Similarly jackfruit trees take more than a decade to grow and bear fruit," Velmurugan said.
According to him, almost all the trees have been uprooted and it will be difficult for the farmers even to realize some decent money selling the wood as it prices will now fall and it is going to be a distress sale for them.Media agencies

DRDO’s Big Participation at 99th Indian Science Congress

DRDO’s Big Participation at 99th Indian Science Congress: DRDO presents a grand exposition of its technologies and series of invited talks from its leading scientists during the ensuing “99th Indian Science Congress”.Scheduled to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh tomorrow in Bhubaneswar at the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University. Glimpse of technological might of the Defence Research & Development Organisation-DRDO, like the tradition of earlier years, will be on display at the “Pride of India-Science Expo”, a part of the “99th ISC”, where DRDO scientists from over 30 laboratories will be present for lively interactions with the visitors, especially students. The main aim is to present the science and technologies in strategic sector for national security and the excitement of scientific challenges to the young creative minds.

The star attractions among the outdoor models are strategic and tactical missiles Agni and Prithvi, Nag, Akash, BrahMos and Astra. The indoor models will cover the entire gamut of R&D in DRDO. Prominent will be India’s own Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas; UAVs NISHANT and Lakshya, Bridging systems Sarvatra& BLT T-72; Autonomous Underwater Vehicle; Torpedoes; and Decoys. Military Communication equipment; Electronic Warfare systems, Night Vision Devices: Microwave Devices; NBC protective systems; Agro-animal technologies and “Packaged Food products” will be the other attractions.

A key ingredient of the DRDO presence will be the public lecture “Innovations in Science & Technology - A DRDO Perspective” by the noted scientist and well known expert in missile technologies Dr. Vijay Kumar Saraswat, SA to RM, Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Director General DRDO, on Wednesday, Jan 04, 2012. He will also interact with the participants of Children’s Science Congress later the day.

Dr. W Selvamurthy, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller (R&D), will chair a Session on NBC Defence Technologies for Armed Forces and Civilians on Thursday and deliver the Theme Lecture. DRDO has developed many products related to NBC Defence for Service use like NBC Recce Vehicle to monitor and demarcate the contaminated area and transmit the data to the command and control centres for further planning, response and management;NBC water purification system; self-contained underground field shelters to house about 30 men for four days; highly effective antigen kits; individual protective suits and respiratory management and resuscitative devices. Sixty four products/systems have been developed for early detection, personnel protection, decontamination and medical management. Most of these products are already productionised and inducted into armed forces in large quantities. All these items are in production and being used by the Services making the country self-reliant in this vital area. They also have the potential to be used in the civil sector. The session comprises four lectures by Directors of DRDO Laboratories on various aspects of NBC Technologies.

The Session II of Women’s Science Congress on Thursday will be chaired by Dr. ShashiBala Singh, Director, DIPAS, Delhi. DrChitraRajagopal, Associate Director, CFEES, Delhi and DrTessy Thomas, Project Director, Agni 4, ASL , Hyderabad will be Co-Chairs. This session will also have lectures by Ms. Nabanita R Krishnan, Director DMIST, DRDO Headquarters and Dr G Rohini Devi, Programme Director, ASL, Hyderabad.