Declare flood national calamity, Jayalalithaa tells Modi

“You are personally aware of the catastrophic destruction and devastation caused by the four rounds of floods that have overrun numerous districts of Tamil Nadu over the past few weeks. I request you to immediately declare this unprecedented, catastrophic and cataclysmic event a National Calamity”, Ms Jayalalithaa said in a letter.

“In this calamity, there has been extensive destruction and damage to infrastructure as well as to the private property of thousands of families in the flood affected areas. Ex gratia payments are being made for the damage to huts and dwellings in slum areas as part of the relief operations, and the restoration and reconstruction of public infrastructure will have to be done out of Central and State Government resources. Already a memorandum has been submitted on 23rd November, and we will submit a supplementary memorandum on the extent of damages in the most recent rounds of floods,” the letter read.

Many of these households are in the low and middle income groups whose life savings have been wiped out by these unprecedented floods. She also suggested that the insurance companies be directed to take up the survey and settlement of the claims on a campaign mode for personal properties like houses, vehicles and electronic equipments with a liberal application of the norms.

As a special measure, I suggest that the banks may be directed to provide a limited moratorium on repayment, as well as a rescheduling of the loans, which would lower the equated monthly installment (EMI) payments and offer a measure of relief to the flood affected households.

As a special case, all such flood affected families may be liberally extended soft loans by the Banks for purchase of vehicles, educational loans to continue to fund the education of children, and personal loans of an amount up to Rs.5 lakhs to finance essential domestic durable assets. It is only with such a package of assistance that many of these families would be in a position to restart their lives, the letter noted.

She also noted that many families have lost their personal vehicles and almost all their durable domestic assets including furniture, refrigerators, television sets, washing machines and kitchen equipment. Such families have suffered extensive financial losses, which would be beyond their capacity to bear, the letter noted demanding that the Prime minister consider the recommendations made by her.