Trichy: The state government has so far released Rs 1,171crore out of the allotted fund of Rs 1,404 crore for carrying out relief works in the cyclone-hit districts including Rs 301 crore for restoration of damaged houses and Rs 103 crore for rehabilitation of the livelihood of the affected, state revenue minister R B Udayakumar has said.In a statement issued on Wednesday, he said that Rs 10 lakh was announced as solatium for those who lost their lives in the cyclone and Rs 1 lakh for the injured, while Rs 25,000 for minor injuries.“In order to execute the restoration, renovation and rehabilitation works in Gaja-hit districts such as Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Pudukottai and part of Dindigul and Kodaikanal, the state government has announced a special scheme for which two IAS officials have also been appointed by the government,” Udayakumar said.Meanwhile, hundreds of farmers from Athanakottai area near Gandarvakottai in Pudukottai district staged a protest demanding the restoration of power supply to their agricultural borewells and pumpsets. Ever since the cyclone hit their livelihood, they have been struggling to water their crops as power supply was not restored, they alleged.Cyclone uprooted thousands of electric poles in Pudukottai district, particularly in Gandarvakottai block. Though officials and workers from the electricity board from across the state are working day and night to restore the uprooted and damaged electric poles for the last 26 days, a majority of rural areas have remained dark.The farmers who gathered at Athanakottai charged that the government has given preference to restore supply only for domestic usage. This has left thousands of power connections unattended in the district leaving the farmers in the lurch, they said.

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