CHENNAI: Former minister and AIADMK spokesperson D Jayakumar on Wednesday charged that the “incompetent” DMK government is blatantly lying that flood water has receded in most part of the city.
He said the fact is that people in several places have resorted to protest in the form of road-blockade demanding the government to drain the stagnated rainwater that mixed with sewage and causing inconvenience to them.
The rain triggered by cyclonic storm Michaung stopped on the night of December 4. However, the situation has not improved. There was rainwater, at waist level, in several places and it mixed the sewage, particularly in ( Zone V) in Royapuram area, raising serious health issues.
However, the government did not take measures to address the issue, said Jayakumar after visiting waterlogged areas in Moolakothalam area.
Power connection has not been restored in many parts of North Chennai, while the people were struggling to get milk. “The government is lying through the teeth that people are happy and rainwater has receded in many areas,” said Jayakumar and noted that many families moved out of Royapuram, Vyasarpadi areas due to waterlogging and non-availability of essential commodities.
Pointing out an incident when an woman questioning DMK youth wing leader and minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over lackluster approach of the government in draining the rainwater in their locality, Jayakumar said that two senior ministers - K N Nehru and Ma Subramanian- who accompanied Udhayanidhi Stalin were “escaping” from the woman as they were unable to answer to her questions.
He also blamed that storm water drains were desilted and connected properly to carry the rainwater, the rainwater would have not stagnated even two days after the rain stopped. But this government did not take such measures.
The cyclonic storm unmasked the government's poor implementation of the Rs 4,000 crore storm water drainage project.