Govt’s relief materials did not reach north Chennai: Volunteers, residents

CHENNAI: While the State government has been providing relief materials to the flood-affected areas, many residents in north Chennai, stated that the none of the materials did not reach them.

Since the civic body claimed that people have returned home from relief centres, volunteers noted that people were still stranded in water stagnation even after a week.

“There were at least 50 children and more than 70 women taking shelter in the zonal office on Basin Bridge. Water receded in the area only on Saturday. The local MLA accompanied by police officials asked them to leave and left them stranded. Volunteers were being questioned by the police and local bodies about why they were supplying the goods and assistance, since the government was helping the people,” said a member of a volunteer group in north Chennai.

Around 10 people were not well. The homes are filled with garbage and not fit to live in. “But they were asked to leave just because the water stagnation was cleared,” he added. “The belongings were washed out, and they needed around 10-day worth of groceries. They don’t have any place to live or carry out any basic works.”

Similarly, residents of Ramdas Nagar in Old Washermenpet struggled without relief materials from December 4-7. After a group of volunteers heard about it, they began distributing food and other basic essentials for the public.

“For over 3 days, residents did not have food, water and milk and were stranded in knee-deep water. We assured them that they would receive basic amenities and materials until they return to their routine life,” said J Vishwanath, an individual volunteer.

Volunteers and residents claim that members from the ruling party visited the area to distribute relief materials and returned without handing over the items. “Since the stagnated rainwater is not drained out, the government distributed relief materials to only 170 families out of 357 living in the area. The remaining families were left without any essential items. Similarly, members of the Isha Yoga foundation hesitated to enter the interior areas where there is still knee-deep water. They ended up walking in the water and never gave anything to us,” fumed a resident of Ramdas Nagar. “The civic body has not taken any steps to drain the water or provide food materials. We’re stranded without any help from the authorities,”

Though the flood-affected areas in the city were cleared, residents in the outskirts continue to reel in chest-deep water even a week after the cyclone.

Residents of Tirunindravur are surviving with the relief materials provided by the volunteers of Chennai.

“The ruling party members had failed to distribute those materials to the majority of the residents here,” lamented the volunteers and residents.