Chennai: Revenue minister R.B. Udhayakumar on Wednesday blamed the previous DMK government for the devastating floods in the state last year by regularising encroachments in water bodies and waterways leading to flooding of the city.
It all started when DMK legislator and former social welfare minister Geetha Jeevan, while initiating debate on the demand for grants for social welfare and differently-abled department, demanded the government to follow the GO of the previous government to give away pattas to people living in poromboke lands for over 10 years.
Responding to the member’s plea, Udhayakumar said the pattas were issued to encroachers by relaxing all norms through a one-time scheme. “But the one time regularisation scheme was amended several times to reduce the period of encroachment from 10 years to three years to avail patta. This was done with an intention to issue patta to whoever they want,” he alleged. He added the issue of pattas to those leaving in waterbodies and channels during DMK rule had led to massive flood in the State. His remark was strongly opposed by DMK members.
Denying the accusation, Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin said the scheme was introduced accepting poor people’s demand. “After the Supreme Court banned issue of pattas to waterbody poromboke land, it was stopped,” he said. Joining issue with Stalin, leader of the House and finance minister O. Panneerselvam said everybody knows what the effect of the then DMK government’s regularisation of encroachments on water bodies was.
Pointing to houses constructed on Thiruvenravur lake, PWD minister Edappadi Palanisami said pattas to those people were issued during the previous DMK rule. He said during last year’s floods, residents whose houses were under three feet of water wanted the lake water to be released while farmers opposed it.
DMK legislator and former revenue minister I. Periyasami clarified that the amendment to the scheme was changed following request from legislators. He alleged that the city and its suburbs witnessed floods due to release of excess water from Chembarambakkam lake. Certain remarks made by Udhayakumar on the beneficiaries of the scheme was strongly opposed by DMK members leading to a brief interruption.
