K.N. Nehru, Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply, chaired a meeting on Wednesday to review the impact of monsoon rain on the city since Monday night and the steps taken to mitigate the problem of floods.
Mr. Nehru announced that 15 monitoring officials and zonal officers were on top of the situation in their respective zones. “We have 536 motors but only 156 have been deployed across 65 locations. This is significantly lower than the number of affected areas last year,” he said. The Minister reiterated that pumps would be deployed to clear stagnant water.
He said the patchwork on roads would be taken up only after the civic infrastructure projects were completed to avoid unnecessary digging. The Greater Chennai Corporation has been requested to collaborate with the Public Works Department in establishing 200 monsoon special medical camps across all 200 wards.
All the 19 trees that were uprooted have been cleared by the Corporation. Rainwater was being drained from three subways — Rangarajapuram, Ganesapuram and Manickam Nagar. About 150 relief centres were ready to accommodate people in low-lying areas.
Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, P.K. Sekar Babu, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Corporation Commissioner, Mayor Priya Rajan and Deputy Mayor Magesh Kumar were present.
Officials on field visits
The officials spent the day inspecting various sites such as Otteri, Teachers Guild Colony in Kolathur and Anjaneyar Kovil Street in Pattalam.
Kolathur and Thiruvika Nagar were amongst the worst hit areas in north Chennai on Tuesday morning. The north of the city received the highest quantum of rainfall. “Storm-water drains are completed in Thiruvika Nagar but the stagnation is caused by the excessive rainfall of 35.13 cm that the area has received,” said the Mayor.
According to a zonal official, water had been cleared to a large extent in Kolathur and Thiruvika Nagar.
On Wednesday night, the Corporation released a short video montage of inspections across the city conducted by Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru, Mayor Priya Rajan and others
