Jaya visits flood-hit pockets of Chennai, announces Rs 500-crore relief package

Chennai: With Tamil Nadu hit by monsoon fury causing flood and inundation, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday announced allocation of Rs 500 crore towards relief and rehabilitation.

“Don’t panic, things will return to normalcy, as the state is working round the clock,” chief minister J. Jayalalithaa reassured the residents of Chennai during her visit to water logged pockets of north Chennai.

Ending the political criticism that the chief minister was yet to visit rain hit areas; she visited her R K Nagar constituency. “All relief and assistance will reach you (public) and I am there with you”, she said amid applause. The government took all preventive steps, but when the rains that are due for three months pour out within a few days, the steps taken fail to cope up," she said.

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Ministers and officials including those from police, fire and rescue services and corporation are working relentlessly day and night to restore normalcy. Relief measures are underway on war footing, she added. As many as 48 very big motor pumps and six super-sucker machines are operating round the clock in R K Nagar and 162 families had been evacuated. Similar measures are at full pace in Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. Food packets distribution is also underway at full swing.

To prevent epidemic outbreak, medical camps are conducted in all the rain hit districts and to prevent zoonotic diseases veterinary camps for livestock is also conducted, Ms Jayalalithaa said.

Earlier in the day Ms. Jayalalithaa held a review meeting with her senior cabinet ministers and officials at the Secretariat on rain relief and rehabilitation measures. The government has also announced a list special officers for each corporation zones to speed up relief works.