A team of Central Government officials will soon tour Tamil Nadu to assess the situation arising out of the recent rain and floods which devastated the districts of Chennai, Cuddalore, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur. This was announced by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday after a detailed telephonic interaction with Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
The Union Home Minister who is on an official visit to China was briefed by Jayalalithaa over telephone about the intensity and fury of the flash floods and the unprecedented heavy downpour which battered most part of Tamil Nadu for four days. She told the Home Minister that a team of State Government officials were on a mission to assess the damage caused across the State in the rain and the floods.
A Tamil Nadu Government release said the Chief Minister requested the Home Minister to speedily depute a Central Government team to the State to make their on the spot assessment and recommend release of Central assistance without delay. She said the Tamil Nadu Government would soon submit to the Centre the details of the loss suffered by the people because of the rain and flood. Jayalalithaa has requested that the Centre may allot funds from the National Disaster Response Fund and other central Funds to speed up the relief and rehabilitation works.
The release said the Union Home Minister assured Jayalalithaa that the Central Team would be sent to Tamil Nadu immediately on receipt of the assessment made by the State Government. Jayalalithaa also thanked the Central Government for the assistance rendered by the Central agencies like the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and the NDRF commandoes.
The Union Home Minister said on Twitter that he had spoken to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and assured her of all possible help. “The Centre is assisting the State agencies of Tamil Nadu in rescue and relief ops. Assured TN CM of all possible help,” Singh tweeted.
Earlier, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs M Venkaiah Naidu briefed PM Narendra Modi about the flood situation in Tamil Nadu and certain parts of Andhra Pradesh. A release by Naidu’s office said that the Prime Minister’s Office informed Naidu that the Prime Minister had instructed his Principle Secretary to direct all the concerned to take necessary steps immediately to provide relief the affected areas.