Rain-battered TN districts battle with inundation woes, CM announces relief

Chennai, Dec 3 (PTI) Several districts in Tamil Nadu adversely battered by torrential rains were battling with inundation woes, badly damaged roads, and lack of access to essential commodities on Tuesday.

In certain areas like Arasur in Villupuram district, people confronted with depleted essential commodities, resorted to a sudden agitation demanding the essentials.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, who chaired a meeting at the Secretariat here, announced a flood relief of Rs 2,000 each to the family ration cardholders in Villupuram, Cuddalore, and Kallakurichi districts which bore the brunt of damage caused by Cyclone Fengal. The sum was meant to compensate livelihood loss of the people owing to unprecedented rain in the three districts for more than two days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Chief Minister earlier in the day and enquired about the flood situation in parts of the state and assured him of all possible support from the Centre.

As per an estimate by the Tamil Nadu government, the cyclone caused unprecedented devastation in 14 districts, extensively damaging roads, electricity lines and causing heavy inundation. The sudden deluge not only inundated vast areas but also displaced the population and severely impacted the infrastructure.

The "catastrophic event" resulted in the loss of 12 human lives, 2,416 huts, 721 houses and 963 cattle. Widespread damage was also caused to agriculture and horticulture crop and irrigation systems, the state government said.

At Arasur, 18 people who took shelter in a temple that was damaged due to rain were rescued. The NDRF personnel successfully evacuated people and livestock marooned in a village in Cuddalore district.

In a tragic incident in Thiruvannamalai district, seven persons, including five children trapped in a house smashed by a boulder that fell on a residential house after rolling down from the top of Annamalaiyar Hill following a mud slip on December 1, were found dead during a rescue operation.

Their bodies were recovered on December 2 evening following a nearly 24-hour rescue operation, said police.

Stalin condoled the deaths and announced a solatium Rs 5 lakh each to their kin on Tuesday.

The meeting chaired by the Chief Minister here decided to extend relief assistance to the rain-hit people in Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Thiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, and Krishnagiri districts, and extend Rs 5 lakh as compensation each to the families who lost their kin due to cyclone or floods.

The government has decided to provide Rs 10,000 as compensation for damaged huts, give priority to constructing houses under the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam (housing scheme) for completely damaged huts, and also announced compensation for farmers for the loss of crops in the rain-fed areas, loss of cattle, goats and sheep and chicken.

State Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan said in a statement that water from the Sathanur dam in Thiruvannamalai district was released after five flood alerts were issued and that the timely action and also the precautionary steps taken by the state government averted a major catastrophe.

What was meant to be a day to distribute welfare aid and console the flood-ravaged families, turned into an ill-starred day for Forest Minister K Ponmudy.

Some unidentified persons threw mud at him and his entourage during his visit to Iruvelpattu village in Villupuram district. But, he dismissed the incident as "politically motivated" and said that the people in the area had nothing against him.

Ponmudy later told reporters that the mud was flung from behind when he, his son Gautham Sigamani, and collector C Palani, were returning from the village. He did not prefer to lodge a formal complaint in connection with the incident as he "didn't wish to do politics" he said.

During an interaction with reporters here, State Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister P K Sekar Babu, accused a political party member and her relative of throwing mud to obstruct Ponmudy from distributing relief to the flood-affected people. He, however, did not name the party.

Reacting, BJP state chief K Annamalai commented that such was the current state of affairs in Tamil Nadu.

"Today, the public's frustration reached a boiling point as a Corrupt DMK Minister, Thiru Ponmudi, visited a flood-affected area and was met with a barrage of mud. This is a gentle reminder for DMK about what is on the offing," he said in a post on social media platform X. PTI JSP KH SSK SA JSP SA