Chennai: A delegation of Members of Parliament belonging to the DMK and its allies urged the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to kindly take immediate action on the Memoranda submitted by the State and sanction the Rs 37.907.21 crore funds sought by the State government from NDRF for the two unprecedented natural disasters, without further delay.
‘As you are well aware, Tamil Nadu had faced two unprecedented natural disasters in the month of December 2023. Cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’ brought extremely very heavy rainfall on 3.12.2023 and 4.12.2023 and Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts were severely affected because of the cyclone and consequent heavy flooding. Close on its wake, the southern districts of the State viz. Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Kanniyakumaridi districts received unprecedented, extremely heavy rainfall on 17.12.2023 and 18.12.2023. As a result, the infrastructure both public and private and livelihoods of the people have been devastated, the memorandum submitted at New Delhi said.
In spite of adequate preparedness and precautions taken by the State, these extreme weather events had caused huge damage to public and private property, including water bodies, drinking water systems, roads, bridges and electricity infrastructure, the MPs said.
Though the Government of Tamil Nadu had presented two Memoranda to Government of India seeking assistance – Rs 19,692.69 crore to overcome the losses brought about by Cyclone Michaung in the northern districts and Rs 18,214.52 crore to compensate the loss in the southern districts, nothing had been paid so far, they said.
‘In this regard, we wish to bring to your kind attention that the State Government has to undertake immediate rescue and relief measures which are being done using its own resources and the available funds with SDRF. But the magnitude of the natural disasters is colossal and without adequate and unstinted support from NDRF, full restoration and rehabilitation cannot be done. Almost a month has gone since these twin calamities and the affected areas are struggling from the devastation,’ the memorandum said.
The MPs who had signed the memorandum were T R Baalu, K Jayakumar, Vaiko, K Subbarayan, S Venkatesan, D Ravikumar, K Navas Kani and A K P Chinnaraj.
