Chief Secretary reviews precautionary measures for northeast monsoon

He urged various departments to ensure they coordinate with each other

Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu chaired a meeting of officials at the Secretariat in Chennai on Tuesday to review the precautionary arrangements in place to face the Northeast monsoon in the State.

During the meeting attended by top officials of various government departments and senior officers of the Armed Forces, Mr. Anbu underlined the need for ensuring coordination between them, especially while working together during the northeast monsoon.

He instructed the Chennai Police, Directorate of Information and Public Relations and India Meteorological Department to ensure the dissemination of weather alerts to the general public so that they could plan their travel accordingly, which could also help in avoiding vehicular traffic.

Mr. Anbu advised officials to ensure that they meet with Collectors for effective coordination at the district-level too. He also instructed authorities to ensure that the availability of various equipment for relief and rescue operations during the monsoon.

He instructed officials to visit and review the ongoing stormwater drain works in various zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and also in other districts. The Highways, Rural Development and Water Resources Departments were asked to jointly undertake desilting of waterways.

Strengthening of banks of waterways with sand bags and keeping ready community kitchens were among the instructions from the Chief Secretary. Officials were also instructed to ensure the availability of pumpsets and other equipment in urban local bodies in case of inundation.

The Health Department officials were instructed to ensure that maintaining public health from any epidemic. Officials were advised to create awareness among owners of cattle to maintain them during the northeast monsoon.