Chennai: The Madras high court has issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu state government after the deadly devastation claimed by Cyclone Gaja, a cyclonic storm that had steeped for days in the Bay of Bengal.

According to reports, the orders came to light after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed seeking to assess the damages. The coastal and delta districts of Tamil Nadu, including Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Trichy, Pudukottai, Dindigul and Puducherry have seen massive destruction after the storm hit these areas.

The Madras high court on Thursday ordered the Tamil Nadu government to submit a status report on the relief and rehabilitation work, which has been undertaken across districts in Tamil Nadu.

Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam reportedly posted a clutch of cyclone-related petitions for further hearing on November 29. State chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami has requested the central government Rs 15,000 crore towards the permanent reconstruction of the affected districts.

As per the reports, 12 districts have been affected by the cyclonic storm, and 63 people have lost their lives during the mishap. There are 556 relief centres in these districts with 3,78,019 people in it.

On November 16, Cyclone Gaja made landfall near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district in the early hours with winds blowing at 120 km per hour.