Tamil Nadu floods can't be declared as a national calamity: Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman refuted the allegations of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, who stated that the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had failed to give a timely warning to the state. When such a massive disaster was taking place in Tamil Nadu, Stalin was in Delhi with the INDIA alliance", she pointed out.

New Delhi: Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday categorically rejected Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister MK Stalin's request to declare the recent floods in Tamil Nadu as a 'national calamity.' Addressing the media at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, the Finance Minister said that the Centre has already released Rs 900 crore funds in two instalments to be used in this financial year to Tamil Nadu.

On Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister MK Stalin's allegation that the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had failed to give a timely warning, the Union Minister in her address noted that "Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai has ultra-modern equipment, including three dopplers and had forecast on December 12 itself that there would be heavy rainfall in the four districts Tenkasi, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin on December 17."

"When such a massive disaster was taking place in Tamil Nadu, CM MK Stalin was in Delhi with the INDIA alliance", she pointed out. Adding that while there was sufficient information on December 12 regarding the heavy rainfall, but the officials might have not briefed the Chief Minister or they might have ignored the alarming situation."

On the role of the Centre, she said, "As soon as we received the information in the morning of December 18, we stepped up all the operations. The Central government immediately took steps to provide additional assistance. I also met Home Minister Amit Shah and requested him to provide the necessary assistance to the four districts." "Five helicopters of the Indian Air Force, one helicopter of the Navy and three helicopters of the Coast Guard were engaged in rescue operations. The National Disaster Response Force, Army, Navy and Coast Guard alone rescued 5,049 people," she added.

It may be recalled that on December 17 and 18, four districts Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari and Tenkasi received incessant rain due to the low atmospheric circulation. Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts were severely affected by floods and all the villages along the banks of the rivers in the Tuticorin district were inundated with flood water.

Loss of life, property, crop damage and livestock damage have been reported. A total of six people died in Muthiyapuram, four drowned and two died in a wall collapse.