Amid criticism of flood-affected North Chennai being neglected by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), Mayor Priya Rajan in an exclusive interview to TNM rejected the allegations saying the entire administration is involved in rescue and rehabilitation efforts without any discrimination. “No place has been abandoned. The Chief Minister is very concerned that the public should not be affected at any cost. So we are all focused on it,” she said on Wednesday, December 6. North Chennai houses a significant working class population.
Heavy rains battered Chennai from December 2 to 4, causing widespread damages in the city. Several parts of Chennai, particularly the low-lying areas, have been inundated with water due to heavy rains under the impact of Cyclone Michaung.
The Mayor said that all the elected representatives, officials, and corporation employees are on the ground actively participating in the relief works. She said the devastation due to the floods in the city was severe owing to the unprecedented rainfall. “The rain spell was high. The city has not witnessed this kind of rainfall in the last 45 years,” the Mayor said, adding that the rainfall was a natural disaster. “We cannot control nature. We have to fight against it. And we are doing that.”
The Mayor has been facing severe criticism for the alleged mismanagement and poor response to the emergencies flagged by the residents. Responding to it, she said, “All the councilors are on the field. The MLAs are on the field. Everyone is working. For the past two days, there has been a connectivity issue. Most places in Chennai had a bad phone network. Because of it we could not attend the emergency calls. Since this morning I have been receiving calls directly.”
Angered residents who have been affected by the floods have been questioning the government about the effectiveness of the storm-water drain project which was constructed at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore. The GCC has completed storm-water drain work for a length of 225 km, and the works are in progress for a length of 70.26 km. “The storm-water drains are working very well. This heavy rainfall measured at 43 cm, so it is a vast spell for one day. We cannot control nature,” the Mayor said.
She added that last month, when it rained heavily about 15-20 cm, the storm-water drains were crucial in averting a disaster. “Compared to 2015, which happened due to the Chembarambakkam lake breach, this is a natural disaster.”
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has sought Rs 5,060 crore as interim flood relief from the Union government. CM Stalin in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the state witnessed unprecedented rainfall, especially in four districts - Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, and Chengalpattu. He said the rainfall led to severe infrastructural damages, including on roads, bridges and public buildings, in addition to livelihood losses of thousands of people.