CHENNAI: Just as the State government is gearing up to face heavy rains due to low pressure, a seven-member inter-ministerial team led by Rajiv Sharma, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, National Intelligence Grid, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, will be visiting the rain-affected areas in a couple of days.
Official sources said the team has been directed to visit Tamil Nadu immediately and after making an assessment, should submit its report within a week to Disaster Management Division, Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
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Official sources also said the senior officials of the team have been drawn from the departments of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Finance, Jal Shakti, Power, Road Transport and Highways and Rural Development. The members of the team are: RV Kaul, Vijay Rajmohan, R Thangamani, Bhaavya Pandey, Rananjay Singh and MVN Varaprasad.
The team will make an on-the-spot detailed assessment of damage and relief works carried out by the State administration, making a final recommendation for the admissibility of additional central assistance in the wake of floods in Tamil Nadu during heavy rains. The team will also recommend whether the disaster can be considered to be of a 'severe nature' in the State.