TIRUCHY: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the floods in Chennai and southern districts as natural disasters and allocate proper funds from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to rebuild the damaged infrastructure.
Addressing the inauguration of the new terminal in Tiruchy International Airport, Stalin recalled the extreme rainfall and the resultant floods in Chennai and southern districts and said these areas witnessed heavy losses and the people there lost their livelihood. “I appeal to the Prime Minister to declare this as a natural disaster and allocate proper funds from the NDRF,” he said.
With the State government taking care of education, medicine and basic amenities, it is important that the Union government to release funds to the State to undertake relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
“It is an appeal in favour of the people of Tamil Nadu and not political propaganda,” added the Chief Minister.
Stalin also said many MSMEs in the region were on the verge of closure after procurement orders from the public sector behemoth, BHEL Tiruchy, declined. The Union government should initiate steps to increase orders to such smaller units from the region, he said.
Noting that more pilgrims were coming from across the nation and also the world to Rameswaram, Kanniyakumari and other places, the Chief Minister urged the Centre to upgrade Madurai airport as an international airport to ease their journey. Also, direct flight services between Chennai and Pinang and Chennai and Tokyo would facilitate business ties and cultural exchange, he added.
Tamil Nadu has witnessed all-round development in every sector and played a pivotal role in the national economy, he said, adding that the new terminal at the second largest airport in the State would have long runways for which the State government has been initiating steps to acquire 294.57-acre land worth Rs 3,118 crore and transfer it to the Airports Authority of India.