Remove encroachments: Venkaiah Naidu

“We have to tackle it in an effective manner. It is not just in Tamil Nadu. It is also happening in Andhra Pradesh. I feel time has come where we have to take it on a war footing and then we have to remove all these encroachments both public and private,” he said and added that he had suggested to the Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa to lead this drive for others to emulate.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Ms J. Jayalalithaa at the Secretariat on Sunday, he said he told her that he had seen in the social media that institutions and private people have also encroached. This cannot be allowed because it would cause large suffering.

“It is a lesson for the entire country. I am very frank about it. I want to say it also. As urban development minister, I have gone through it. Experts say that there is a possibility of such occurrence in future also not only for Tamil Nadu but also for Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka,” he said.

He would pursue the subject with all the states on the removal of such encroachments and obstructions to rivers, lakes and riverbeds, he said. Claiming that some people caused trouble to others by encroaching, he said the issue of shrinking reservoirs, lakes and rivers has become a cause for serious concern.

“We are occupying and going on occupying. The local municipal bodies and authorities are becoming silent spectators….we need to have something like demarcation so that people do not encroach upon river beds. It is very important now,” Mr Naidu emphasised.

He was in the city to express the Centre’s solidarity and to extend whatever support is possible to the people. Complimenting Chennaiites for taking steps to regain normalcy, he said, “I salute the people of Chennai for their resilience. Major issue after water receding is garbage cleaning. It is a huge task. People are very impatient. But we should also congratulate the sanitary workers as their houses were also destroyed in the rains.”

During the meeting, when he stressed that the Centre has schemes to support housing development in slum areas, it was indicated on behalf of the state government that Central support under these schemes was not very substantial. In view of the intensity of the disaster most of the affected persons will be unable to make their financial contribution at this stage.

Hence, a special dispensation would have to be worked out for TN to provide substantial help for the construction of houses at alternative sites for those families who were residing in water courses.