Tamilisai: ‘Dravidian model’ failed flood-hit

MADURAI: Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Monday said that the ‘Dravidian model’ of governance is struggling to tackle the flood situation.

Arriving in Thoothukudi to inspect the flood damage, she said, it started raining on December 16, but the state government failed in its duty to take precautionary measures and did not handle the flood situation carefully and cautiously.

Talking to reporters at Thoothukudi airport, the Governor said the government instead of taking flood prevention precautions, shifted the blame on to the IMD. Chennai was flooded in the first week of this month after heavy rainfall and that flood situation should have prompted the government to make adequate precautionary measures in the southern districts.

"In Gujarat, when a storm was predicted, nearly one lakh people were evacuated to safer places. In Odisha, during Cyclone Asani, almost 10 lakh people were evacuated to ensure zero casualty. Odisha’s model of disaster preparedness proved effective and efficient. But, the Dravidian model government is struggling to cope with floods," she said.

She added, "When people were encountering hardships caused by the flood, Chief Minister MK Stalin did not bother to see those affected, but made himself available in ‘Makkaludan Mudhalvar,’ event in Coimbatore. Even the next day, the Chief Minister did not visit the flood-affected areas, but travelled to Delhi and took part in a meeting with the alliance parties. In this time of grief, the CM should have spent his time mostly in the flood-hit areas. Citing these, she said the state keeps treating the southern districts in a step-motherly manner."