Tamil Nadu: CM Jayalalithaa reviews situation following incessant rains

Chennai, Nov 16: With her government facing opposition flak over the handling of the monsoon fury, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said normalcy will return soon as the government machinery is working day and night to ensure welfare of people.

Making a visit to her Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar constituency here to review the situation following the rains, Jayalalithaa told people that while the north-east monsoon stretches for a three-month period from October to December, a significant part of it had been realised in "a few days."

Jayalalithaa said the government had put in all adequate preventive measures.

"When rains that should have been realised in three months lash within a few days, any number of preventive measures will not suffice as stagnation and resulting damage are unavoidable," she said.

However, as soon as it was known that people were suffering due to the monsoon fury, the government machinery was in full swing, with Ministers and officials including those from police and Fire and Rescue Services working "relentlessly day and night" to restore normalcy while relief measures had been taken up on "war-footing," she said.

"People need not worry. I am there in support of you; so is the government. Normalcy will return soon and the government machinery is working day and night to ensure that," she said.

Further, in her constituency, 48 very big motor pumps and six 'super-sucker' machines were being pressed into service to remove stagnant water, she said, adding 162 families had been evacuated to safer zones.

As many as 20,000 food packets had been distributed on Monday alone and food was prepared and given to people as and when required, she added.

Earlier, she held a review meeting with her senior cabinet Ministers and officials at the Secretariat to take stock of the rain situation and the relief and rehabilitation measures being undertaken.

PTI