Ministers deputed for flood relief work

Palaniswami observed that the drive will ensure that relief being meted out to the necessary areas and would work in tandem with secretary rank IAS officials one each to every zone already allotted, as heavy rains lashed the city and adjoining Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. 

He reiterated that as many as 115 multi-purpose evacuation centres constructed in all coastal districts while adequate shelters had been arranged for all other vulnerable locations. The CM also reeled out statistics of the previous instalments of monsoon preparedness meetings he had had since September. “TANGEDCO officials had been instructed to raise the level of junction boxes setup in street level to ensure zero water incursions. 

In water logged locations, the officials had been instructed to use additional motors pumps for dewatering. They have also been told to identify areas where dewatering is slow and to expedite the same,” Palaniswami said. 

“The Health Department had been asked to setup medical camps in affected areas to ensure zero outbreak of waterborne diseases. They have been instructed to clear the area besides sanitising it with chlorination, among other things,” he added. Earlier in the day, RB Udhayakumar, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, told the media that they had already identified as many as 4,399 vantage areas split in three ways based on the risk factor. 

“We have also instructed to stock 2-months food and provision in store. The state disaster management authority is already seized of the situation, and the thrust will be on low-lying areas,” he said. While dismissing rumours, the Minister said that the control centre 1070 (state control) had received 600 calls so far. He also advised people to stay indoors as much as possible. 

Replying to DMK working president MK Stalin, Udhayakumar said asking a whitepaper on Kudimaramathu was Leader of Opposition’s right while the state’s present responsibility lies in monsoon relief.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday launched AVASARAM 108 App, a first in the country, while inducting 22 new emergency vehicles and disbursing android mobile phones to the ambulance drivers, at an event in the Secretariat. 

The app was subsequently hosted on the Google playstore. It was developed at a cost of Rs 5 lakh by the IIT. The app will come in handy, since majority of the callers were using android mobiles and the app would require one time authentication through an one-timepassword (OTP).

When a 108 call centre is contacted through this app, the agent receiving the call at the control centre would have all the details pertaining to the local topography, which are otherwise had to be manually asked and fed into the system. 

The app will cut short the conversation by at least 1 minute and help dispatch a vehicle from the nearest point. If one minute was saved, it would add up in the travel time of the vehicle and reflect in the time taken for the vehicle to reach the injured. 

The same would reflect in the time taken for admitting the injured for treatment, a release said. This application would be used to pinpoint the location of the accident spot, which would be in turn passed on to the driver, who will have the driver’s version of the app. 

Even without any assistance from the caller or any other passersby enroute, the driver would be able to reach the spot by following the GPS primed app. To mark the induction of the new vehicles, Palaniswami flagged off as many as 12 ambulances. 

The Directorate of Public Health has spent Rs 3.3 crore towards purchase of the said set of 22 vehicles to enhance 108 services. “Every year road accidents claim invaluable human lives. The state is taking measures to bring down accidents and loss of lives through strengthening 108 Ambulance Services besides setting up of casualty wards and head injury wards, among other things,” Palaniswami said. 

Palaniswami also handed out android-based mobiles loaded with the driver version of the app to 3 drivers, while other drivers would receive the mobile sets through 108. The mobiles were purchased at a cost of Rs 75 lakh.