Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday drafted all his cabinet colleagues for overseeing the rain relief work in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts as Met department has forecast heavy rains till Friday. Chairing a review meeting on the preparedness of the government machinery for relief and rehabilitation works post-rains, Palaniswami asked ministers to join their respective district collectors in ensuring that relief reaches the needy without any delay.
The meeting came as opposition parties accused the government of being “ill-prepared” to face the monsoon especially after two girls were electrocuted in north Chennai on Wednesday. However, ministers have said the government was fully prepared to tackle any situation. “Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur have been hit be heavy rainfall for the past few days and I have appointed ministers to oversee the relief and rehabilitation works in Chennai and Kancheepuram,” an official release said, quoting Palaniswami.
The ministers, except deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, have been appointed in addition to IAS officers already deputed to oversee the relief work.Chennai has been split into 15 division and ministers ranging from two to three have been appointed for each division for the relief work according to its size. Officials said Chennai will have a three-tier monitoring system in place with ministers and IAS officers as the first ring, civic authorities and subordinates as the second ring and SDRF being the third ring in alarming situations.
Palaniswami said 115 multi-disciplinary protection centres have been set up across the state, especially in coastal districts, to house people in case of their evacuation from low-lying areas. During the meeting, he also instructed officials to keep checking electrical boxes and ensure that rain water is drained out from areas that have water logging issues.
