Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and urged him to declare the floods in the state as a national calamity and release relief funds at the earliest to bolster the efforts for livelihood support and repair of public infrastructure affected due to the recent floods in the southern districts.
According to the statement issued by the Tamil Nadu government, Stalin also talked about the incessant rainfall in the southern Tamil Nadu districts from December 17 to December 18.
Stalin submitted a memorandum to Modi and briefed him about the devastation Cyclone Michaung had caused in Chennai and its neighbouring districts of Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Thiruvallur districts earlier in December.
The Tamil Nadu chief minister also pointed out the loss of livelihood as well as damages to public infrastructure like roads, hospitals, transformers, and bridges, and the measures taken by the state government on a war footing to address them.
He also urged PM Modi to release interim funds of Rs 7,033 crore and a permanent relief fund of Rs 12,659 crore soon.
“Chief Minister M K Stalin sought an interim relief of Rs 2,000 crore from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for livelihood assistance for those affected due to the floods and help for rehabilitation works in Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari, and Tenkasi,” said the State Government statement.
Meanwhile, Governor R N Ravi conducted a review meeting over the rescue and relief operations undertaken by Central agencies and defence forces in the rain and flood-affected southern districts at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.
As per the statement issued by the Governor’s office, the representatives from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Railways, BSNL, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Airport Authority of India (AAI), and Red Cross were present, however, no one from the Tamil Nadu government took part in it.
The statement said the situation is grim, especially in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli, and the Central Government agencies have placed their resources at the state government’s disposal and are doing so as and when requisitioned by the state.
Governor Ravi also said some of the central agencies had raised concerns about the absence of coordination and lack of appreciation of the overall situation in the affected districts due to which the agencies don’t have a clear idea about exact resource requirements and prioritisation in their deployment.
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