CHENNAI: The Assembly, in its first-day discussion over the motion of thanks to the governor’s address, witnessed a fierce debate between the DMK and the AIADMK over the Chennai flood owing to Cyclone Michaung.
Former minister RB Udhayakumar said, “The AIADMK government always took sufficient preventive steps to avert floods during the monsoon. However, the DMK government was lackadaisical in taking precautionary measures, which put Chennai residents to immense sufferings. The government failed to act on the Indian Meteorological Department’s warning.”
Replying to the charges, HR& CE Minister PK Sekarbabu said, “The city was inundated owing to heavy rainfall of 33 cm in just three hours. Normality was restored in the city within three days only because the government acted in a very efficient manner. But, the erstwhile AIADMK government needed 10 days to bring the city back to normal when 33 cm rainfall pounded Chennai over seven days.”
Udhayakumar also disputed the government’s claim of having completed 98% floodwater canal work. Leader of the opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami said the erstwhile AIADMK government had taken steps to construct 2,400 km rainwater canal in the city and completed work on 1,247 km.
Sekarbabu shot back, “In your 2021 poll campaign, you claimed that there won’t be any water stagnation in city since you had completed so much canal work. How do you explain this flood if your claim has to be believed?”
Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru said, “Based on the recommendations of Thiruppugazh committee, works have been completed at a cost of `2,400 crore. The city never got flooded owing to the canal work as long as the rainfall received was under 20 cm. However, it was the unprecedented rain of 33 cm in a short few hours which led to the flooding.”
Health Minister Ma Subramanian recalled the 2015 flood and alleged that more than one lakh cusecs of water were released from the Chembarambakkam lake affecting lakhs of people. In reply, Palaniswami said, “As per the capacity of the shutters of Chembarambakkam, only 35,000 cusecs could be released from the lake. The minister’s claim is false.”