Fisherfolk's resilience commended Facilities opened near Cheyyur

CORPORATE GESTURE: Kancheepuram District Collector Pradeep Yadav (centre), handing over the keys to a community centre building to panchayat president Munusamy, at Panaiyur Periyakuppam on Friday. From right are: N. Kumar, past president, CII; David T. Hopper, U.S. Consul-General, and Arvind Mathew, managing director, Ford India. — Photo: R. Ragu

KANCHEEPURAM : U.S. Consul-General David T. Hopper has commended the resilience the fishermen community showed in the face of the tsunami. At a function in Panaiyur Periyakuppam near Cheyyur on Friday to mark the inauguration of a community hall and a fish auction centre, he said the involvement and determination shown by the local people had helped in the success of rehabilitation projects. For instance, a Ford-CII initiative had transformed Panaiyur Periyakuppam through various programmes.

Collector Pradeep Yadav said 36 coastal hamlets in the district were affected by the tsunami. Twenty-one non-governmental organisations came forward to construct 4,086 permanent houses for the affected people, of which 2,000 had been completed. Another 1,500 houses would be constructed this year. The Government will build 226 houses.

Ford India managing director Arvind Mathew said the tsunami relief project implemented by Ford-CII was testimony to the role the private sector could play in executing rehabilitation projects.
CII southern region chairman and joint managing director, Motor Industries Company, Lakshminarayan, handed over insurance documents for fishing boats.
The Collector declared open a bridge across the Buckingham Canal linking Ainthukani village with the mainland near Kalpakkam, built at a cost of Rs.5.5 lakh.