PUDUCHERRY: Alleging irregularities in the disbursal of relief funds for cyclone Thane victims, Union Minister of State for the PMO V Narayanasamy on Monday urged the UT government to open a separate bank account for all contributions made towards relief, similar to the practice in Tamil Nadu.

Cuddalore (TN): Power supply has been restored to 85 to 90 per cent of the areas in cyclone Thane affected Cuddalore district, where supply was disrupted since it struck on December 30, electricity board officials said. Till date, power has been restored in 85 to 90 per cent of homes.....

Pilots are hoping that Chennaiites would celebrate Bhogi, which is just a few days away, with minimum pollution.  Cyclone Thane is said to have cleared the pollution in the air, but meteorological department officials feel the state government should sensitise people living near the airports about the difficulty in visibility due to Bhogi smoke, which causes smog and makes taking off and landing difficult.

The Madras High Court on Wednesday hoped that at least electricity supply will be restored in cyclone Thane-ravaged Cuddalore, as expeditiously as possible. In a public interest litigation petition, M. Vetri Selvan, an advocate here, sought a direction to the Union and Tamil Nadu governments to implement the National Disaster Management Guidelines on management of cyclone resistant design standards, construction of cyclone shelters and building of all weather road links to coastal habitations in all cyclone-prone districts in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry within a reasonable time.