Tata Relief Committee initiative for tsunami affected victims of Tamil Nadu
January 4, 2005

The TRC has undertaken relief and rehabilitation work in the tsunami affected area with the help of a 55-member team pooled from different Tata Group companies.

In response to the natural calamity that devastated southern India on December 26, 2004, Tata Relief Committee (TRC) team rushed to the affected areas on December 28, 2004 with relief material for the victims. In Tirunelveli district TRC began the relief operations as one of the first voluntary organisations to begin relief work for the displaced people and survivors of tsunami.

The TRC has undertaken relief and rehabilitation work in this area with the help of a 55-member team pooled from different Tata Group companies. The TRC has set up a base camp at Tiruneveli and is distributing relief material in the districts of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari to nearly 4000 families.

The relief operation in Kanyakumari was initiated on December 30, 2004 and under this operation emergency relief material, procured from Chennai has been distributed to 2,500 families. In Tirunelveli, the TRC has covered about 750 families in 8 villages and another 750 families in Tuticorin have been covered till date.

For the relief work at Nagapattinam and Cuddalore a base camp has been set up at Tiruvarur on January 1, 2005, which is about 25 km west of Nagapattinam. Relief material for about 10,000 families has been mobilised and shifted to the base camp. A 55-member team pooled from different Tata Group of companies based at Chennai are camping at the base camp for distribution of the relief material.

TRC in collaboration with the district administration of these three districts has reached out to the tsunami victims. However, it hopes to extend its coverage of the relief work once more villages are made accessible. It has procured earth moving equipment for this clearing the debris and with the guidance of the district administration, it will soon reach many more villages and families.