TN floods: CM seeks Rs 25,912 crore for restoration work

With the unprecedented deluge leaving a trail of destruction and devastation in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today sought Central assistance of Rs 25,912 crore towards restoration, saying it was 'difficult' for state Government to meet the costs, especially after suffering 'huge loss' of Central tax devolution.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said her government was committed to rebuilding infrastructure and reducing the distress caused to people due to floods by providing 'gratuitous relief' for affected families.
"These costs are very large and it is very difficult for the Government of Tamil Nadu to meet the cost, particularly after the huge loss of Central tax devolution and transfers suffered by the state consequent on the 14th Finance Commission's recommendations," she said.

The CM recalled that her government had earlier submitted a memorandum totalling the losses suffered at Rs 8,481 crore in November, following which a Central team had also visited Tamil Nadu to make on-spot assessment.
However, the "fourth and most severe spell" of rainfall was received after the team's visit, she said,referring to the heavy downpour on December 1,which resulted in severe flooding of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts even as Cuddalore had also been affected.
"We have now prepared the supplementary memorandum which reflects damages caused during the fourth spell of rainfall and the consequent floods in the first week of December 2015. Tamil Nadu immediately needs an additional sum of Rs 17,431.51 crore for temporary and permanent restoration," she said.

With the government now preparing a supplementary memorandum the state will need a total sum of Rs 25,912.45 crore, including the earlier Rs 8,481 crore, for relief and restoration efforts, she told Modi.

"I request you to kindly instruct the Ministry of Home Affairs and the other concerned Ministries to expeditiously consider our two memoranda for assistance on account of flood damages and devastation and release the necessary funds at the earliest to meet the state government's requirement of Rs 25,912.45 crore," she urged Modi.
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On Central release of Rs 940.42 crore in November, Jayalalithaa said it included Rs 133.79 crore towards last instalment of Central share for State Disaster Relief Fund 2014-15, Rs 254.62 crore as second instalment of Central share for SDRF for 2015-16 and Rs 552 crore as Special assistance for projects out of the special allocation with NITI Aayog.

"The releases to the SDRF were not an additionality of funds, but a reimbursement of the expenditure already incurred by the state government towards relief expenditure in 2014-15 and also in 2015-16. The sum of Rs 552 crore released towards Special assistance for projects is meant for funding specific plan schemes and cannot be utilised for temporary restoration work," she said.
Further, during Modi's December 3 visit here, she had told him the state was preparing a supplementary memorandum to cover losses which did not find place in the earlier one and that she had sought immediate release of at least Rs 5000 crore, on account, from the National Disaster Response Fund.

"In response, you had kindly announced the release of Rs 1,000 crore from the NDRF," Jayalalithaa said.
Detailing about the rainfall, the CM said many parts of the state had received unprecedented torrential rains in the first week of this month, leading to a deluge in Chennai and nearby Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, as well as Cuddalore, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
The extremely heavy rainfall on December 1 marooned a number of localities and severely inundated lakhs of houses, she said adding in the first five days of December 2015, Chennai recorded an excess rainfall of 883 per cent, Kancheepuram 1254 per cent and Tiruvallur 863 per cent.

Following incessant rains in Chennai and catchment areas of Adyar, Cooum and Kosasthalaiar rivers, rain water could not drained out, causing inundation, she informed Modi and said the situation 'worsened' due to release from reservoirs in south Andhra Pradesh, including Pichathur and Krishnapuram, which she said flowed into drainage systems in northern Tamil Nadu.
Roads were flooded and essential services,including trains and bus transport, were suspended in many locations, she said.
The city airport was closed for five days even as power supply had to be switched off in inundated parts of the city due to the risk of electrocution, she said.

She said telephone communication was severely disrupted while banking services were affected badly, with ATMs becoming non-functional due to inundation.
Flood waters heavily damaged durable assets and motor vehicles in many households, she added.
However, her government had mounted 'massive rescue and relief operations immediately on a war footing,' she said.