: Terming the relief operations in Chennai in the wake of Cyclone Vardah as inadequate, DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said that Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, instead of writing to the Centre, should meet the Prime Minister in person and press for more funds.
Talking to reporters after visiting cyclone-affected areas in his Kolathur constituency, he reiterated his earlier demand for sanction of Rs. 10,000 crore from the Centre to carry out relief work in the State.
“A team of officials from the Centre should visit the cyclone-affected areas and make recommendations for adequate relief,” he said.
‘Don’t delay fund release’
Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) president G.K. Vasan demanded that the Centre provide interim relief to Tamil Nadu government which is carrying out relief measures after Cyclone Vardah devastated Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts on Monday.
In a statement, he said that the Centre must not delay sanctioning Rs. 1,000 crore which has been requested by Tamil Nadu from the National Disaster Fund. “It has to be immediately sanctioned.
A high-level team from the Centre must survey the affected areas and provide an estimate for the devastation. The government must provide full compensation,” he said.
CPM’s state secretary G. Ramakrishnan said that the State Government must ‘speed up’ the relief measures.
“The government has so far employed only 3,000 workers when it is estimated that it would take at least 15,000-20,000 workers to bring Chennai back to normalcy,” he said.
The party also urged the Centre to immediately release Rs. 1,000 crore relief requested by Tamil Nadu as the government is reeling under severe economic stress.
