Cyclone Fengal: DMK govt's inefficiency handling Thenpennai floods exposed, slams Annamalai
Annamalai claimed that flood warnings were issued only on paper and needed to be more effectively communicated to the people.
Annamalai visited the cyclone-hit Villupuram and Cuddalore districts on Tuesday
CHENNAI: Taking stock of Cyclone Fengal’s devastation across districts, BJP State president K Annamalai slammed the State government's inefficiency for worsening the situation, affecting thousands of people.
Addressing reporters at Marakkanam in Villupuram district, Annamalai criticised the ruling DMK government, saying that opening Sathanur’s sluices suddenly exacerbated the flood damage.
Annamalai said he would meet Union Ministers in New Delhi on Wednesday to seek relief assistance for Tamil Nadu.
Accompanied by senior BJP leaders A Asuvathaman and Vinoj P Selvam, Annamalai visited the cyclone-hit Villupuram and Cuddalore districts on Tuesday, assessing the damages and interacting with affected farmers and residents.
Underscoring the contribution of water released in Thenpennai, Annamalai said, "The state government released only 5,000 cusecs of water till December 1, but 1,00,000 cubic feet of water was released on December 2 (from Sathanur dam), leading to flooding of 38 villages," Annamalai claimed.
He questioned the State government's warning system. Annamalai claimed that flood warnings were issued only on paper and needed to be more effectively communicated to the people.
The BJP chief also accused the State government of neglecting essential flood-prevention measures, including dredging of the canals.
"The State government did not take the initiative to dredge the canals. On May 1, the State government announced that it would dredge all of Sathanur and Bhavani canals, but it has not fulfilled its announcement," he said.
The BJP State president also accused the state government of using the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) to take photos of Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin rather than address the real issues.
He informed that he would submit a detailed report of damages caused by Cyclone Fengal to the Union Ministers and urge the Centre to provide necessary relief assistance to the farmers and people.
"The central team is expected to visit Tamil Nadu within a week to assess the damages. Based on their assessment, the Centre will allocate the necessary funds to support the relief efforts," he said, adding that there is no problem for the State government in providing relief assistance, and the Centre will compensate it in the coming days.