Rain damage: TN urges Centre to release over Rs 6,000 crore assistance

Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release Rs 6,230.45 crore assistance to Tamil Nadu, battered by recent heavy rains, flood, loss of lives and damage to crops and infrastructure, further burdening the state's financial position.

Unprecedented rains lashed Tamil Nadu during the northeast monsoon season (October-December) this year, resulting in heavy flooding, inundation of habitations and crops, Stalin said.

The financial position of the state government "has been under severe stress due to Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent flood situation only accentuated it," he said.

Also, the Chief Minister drew the PM's attention to "loss of life of humans and animals, damage to standing crops and infrastructure."

The state government took expeditious relief operations and restored normalcy in the shortest possible time, Stalin said in a letter to Modi.

The Central team visited Tamil Nadu on November 21, 2021 for assessing the damage due to incessant rains.

"We have submitted so far, three memoranda seeking relief assistance from Government of India to the tune of Rs 1,510.83 crore for temporary restoration and Rs 4,719.62 crore for permanent restoration of damaged infrastructure like roads, bridges and public buildings etc."

The memoranda were submitted to the Centre on November 16, 25 and December 15.

The State Disaster Response funds have also been fully utilised.

"As you may agree, the affected people need to be compensated at the earliest to enable them to get over the present impact of the floods and also to reconstruct the damaged infrastructure so that transport, irrigation, education etc., are put back in track."

Stalin requested Modi to release the central assistance at the earliest.