Annamalai to seek relief assistance from Centre for cyclone-hit Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: BJP state president K Annamalai will meet Union Ministers in New Delhi on Wednesday to seek relief assistance for Tamil Nadu, which has been severely affected by Cyclone Fengal.

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.

Addressing reporters at Marakkanam of Villupuram district, Annamalai criticised the ruling DMK government for its handling of the flood situation.

He alleged that the flood damage was exacerbated by the Sathanur dam's water release.

"The state government's inefficiency has worsened the situation, leaving thousands of people affected, " he 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, resulting in flood water entering 38 villages and flooding houses and farmlands, " Annamalai claimed.

He also questioned the state government's warning system, saying that flood warnings were issued only on paper and not effectively communicated to the people.

Annamalai also accused the state government of neglecting essential flood-prevention measures, including dredging the canals.

"The state government did not take the initiative to dredge the canals. On May 1, the state government had announced that it would dredge all of Sathanur and Bhavani canals, but has not fulfilled its own 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 addressing the real issues.

Annamalai 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 Central Government 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 give the compensation money in the coming days.