Chennai: Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday sought central assistance of Rs 25,912 crore for restoration to be carried out in the flood hit districts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi she said it was difficult the for state to meet the costs, especially after suffering ‘huge loss’ from central tax devolution.
“We have now prepared the supplementary memorandum which reflects damages caused during the fourth spell of rainfall and the consequent floods in the first week of December 2015. Tamil Nadu immediately needs an additional sum of Rs 17,431.51 crore for temporary and permanent restoration. Including the earlier requirement of Rs 8,481 crore in the memorandum sent on 23rd November, 2015, the State will need a total sum of Rs 25,912.45 crore for relief and restoration efforts due to the rain and flood damage”, she said.
I request you to kindly instruct the ministry of home affairs and the other concerned ministries to expeditiously consider our two memoranda for assistance at the earliest. “Further immediate release of Rs 2,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund will enable the state to sustain the vigour of the restoration operations,” the letter noted.
Highlighting the extent of damage and its impact on everyday life, Ms Jayalalithaa said roads were flooded and essential services, including trains and bus transport, had to be suspended in many locations due to unprecedented water logging and Chennai Airport was closed. In all, more than 80,000 personnel of the state were involved in round the clock rescue and relief operations, she added.
Jayalalithaa
