TIRUNELVELI: Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Wednesday visited the residents who were affected by the floods in Tirunelvei city, and urged the central government to provide additional relief funds for Chennai and the southern districts. The leader, who visited people in Vellakovil, Vannarpettai, Kurunthudaiyarpuram, Veeraragavapuram and Melapalayam areas, distributed relief materials worth Rs 1,000 each to around 2,000 people.
Noting that Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts were severely affected in the rains, Thirumavalavan said Chief Minister M K Stalin had met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the central government to provide more funds for the state. He added that though the chief minister had asked for Rs 21,000 crore as disaster relief, only the regular disaster relief fund was granted in two instalments.
Further, he asked Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who visited the flood-hit regions in Thoothukudi, to show mercy, and accused the Centre of seeking political mileage at a time of disaster. "Farmers who cultivated paddy, banana among other crops were heavily affected. Many are saying that the relief assistance announced by the state government is not enough. Hence, the prime minister should take a policy decision," he said.