To the north of Nagore is Karaikkal -- legend has it that one of Lord Shiva's [Images] ardent devotees came from here -� which is surrounded by Tamil Nadu on three sides with the sea forming the fourth boundary.

The enclave is part of Pondicherry, the former French colony.

Here 13 villages were destroyed in the sea's fury on December 26, and 471 people were killed, while in the nearby Kilinjalmedu village 33 people were killed. The houses on the beach have been completely destroyed, never mind they were pucca concrete structures. But hearteningly, the people say they have received a lot of aid, even if they don't know the names of NGOs as there were too many to count.

The state government has distributed Rs 2000 in cash and Rs 10,000 by cheque to the survivors, apart from providing clothes and 25 kg of rice. NGOs are a regular sight here, and all government aid is routed through the fisheries department.

Senior accounts officer Raghavan, who is in charge at the old looking district administration office acknowledged that they have been receiving excess aid, and were clearly overwhelmed. Even while I walked around he was on the phone with a donor from Salem.

I could see that clothes and utensils were arriving all the time. Hindustan Lever [Get Quote] had provided some 2000 family kits, each containing soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other toiletry items.

The government further plans to provide Rs 1 lakh to the next of kind; the living alone were not due for a largesse, it also planned to give Rs 5000 towards cremation expenses, and another Rs 5000 for the injured.

Raghavan said the homes will be built and the boats replaced with central government aid. There is no fear of epidemic since the dead bodies were retrieved immediately and disposed of. Bleaching powder has been used liberally and the water has been chlorinated. Both drinking water and power have been been restored.

But there were minor irritants too. As we passed Rajiv Gandhi Nagar the road was blocked by villagers protesting that only 37 of the 89 families had received relief.

There were women in the crowd as well, including one pregnant lady. Even as the Nehru Yuva [Images] Kendra youth managed to convince them that relief was on the way, two vans pulled in with aid. That was the end of the rasta roko and we went along.

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