The AIADMK government on Sunday reiterated its demand for the conferment of the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian honour, on former Chief Ministers C.N. Annadurai and Jayalalithaa.
It also urged the Centre to rename the Chennai Central Railway Station after late Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran.
The demand for Bharat Ratna topped the list of 17 demands contained in a 95-page memorandum submitted by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s visit to Madurai.
Other key demands included the withdrawal of the Central Water Commission’s permission to the Karnataka government in regards to the Mekedatu reservoir project, the Centre’s intervention to ensure that Tamil Nadu is able to restore the storage capacity of the Mullaperiyar dam to 152 feet, and the withholding of the passage of the Dam Safety Bill.
On the relief and restoration work post-Cyclone Gaja, the State government demanded better allocation of funds from different departments of the Union government, particularly for the rebuilding of houses, roads and other infrastructure, and compensation to farmers.
A request for funds under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) to improve irrigation systems in the Cauvery basin, permanent measures to mitigate the effects of cyclones in Tamil Nadu, including communication equipment for fishermen and a permanent naval station, and financial assistance for the implementation of projects worth ₹6,751 crore for permanent flood mitigation and management measures in Chennai were also among the demands.
Special assistance
With reference to pending issues related to the release of funds under various heads, the CM demanded special assistance to compensate for the “unfair treatment” meted out to Tamil Nadu by the 14th Finance Commission. He requested the release of pending local body grants for the years 2017-18 and 2018-19 as well as IGST and GST dues.
The memorandum of demands also included those seeking the reconstruction of the sharing pattern between the Central and State governments in the disbursal of the post-matric scholarship, intervention to safeguard the jobs of eight lakh people in the fireworks industry, which has been hit by curbs imposed by the Supreme Court, introduction of flight operations in Hosur, Neyveli, and Ramanathapuram, and the continuation of operations of research institutions like the Central Potato Research Station and the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture.
