TIRUNELVELI: Assembly Speaker M Appavu alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet ministers were watching a film (The Sabarmati Report) while people in Tamil Nadu were suffering due to the recent floods. Appavu criticised Modi for allegedly not consoling the affected people of Tiruvannamalai and Viluppuram districts, even through a post on the X platform.
After attending an event in Tirunelveli on Wednesday, Appavu told the media that the union government was treating Tamil Nadu and Kerala unfairly in allocating NDRF funds, while favouring states like Gujarat and Maharashtra.
“On October 1, the union government allocated Rs 600 crore to Gujarat, Rs 1,492 crore to Maharashtra, Rs 1,250 crore to Andhra Pradesh, and adequate funds to Assam. However, no fund was allocated to Kerala, which faced a disaster due to the Wayanad landslide this year, and Tamil Nadu. I fail to understand why the union government continues to deceive these two states,” he said.
Appavu added that Tamil Nadu, being the second-highest GST-paying state after Maharashtra, is not getting its due share in return. “We struggle to secure funds for AIIMS and metro projects. Even the 40,000 teachers working under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme are not being paid properly, as the union government pressures Tamil Nadu to implement the new education policy. The media should question Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about this,” he said.
When asked about AIADMK leaders expressing dissatisfaction over the limited days for the upcoming Assembly session, Appavu pointed out that previous AIADMK governments had conducted only two-day Assembly sessions in December from 2014 to 2020. “The AIADMK government did not even hold discussions on grants,” he added.
Regarding allegations that the release of water from Sathanur Dam caused flooding, Appavu defended the state government and said that Minister Durai Murugan explained that the government issued four warnings before releasing the water. He also accused the AIADMK regime of mismanagement, alleging that the sudden release of water from Chembarambakkam Lake during their tenure claimed many lives.
Relief measures
Villupuram
Shelter and Food: 20,625 accommodated in 105 camps; 49,848 food packets given; 105 community kitchens in rural areas gave 2,90,140 food packets
Medical Support: 183 medical camps treated 11,578 individuals
Damage: 728 houses were partially damaged and 132 were completely destroyed
Cuddalore
Shelter and Food: 19,645 residents housed in centres; 68,350 food packets given; 15 community kitchens catered to 20,300 residents
Supplies distributed: 10,871 milk packets, 2,000 milk powder packets, 5,660 bread packets, 13,964 water bottles and 1,000 blankets
Medical Aid: Medical camps at 50 locations treated 5,285 individuals
Kallakurichi
Compensation: Rs 37.04 lakh given for property, livestock losses
Cleanup 0perations: 1,630 conservancy workers deployed in three municipalities, five town panchayats and 31 village panchayats
Shelter and food: 1,980 housed in 16 centres, 3,809 food packets given
Medical Assistance: 7,512 residents treated, 33 spl camps held to treat livestock