Focus on Chennai flood mitigation project, says FM
The Hindu
Centre proactively pushing to implement Chennai Basin project to help TN, AP cope with cyclone Michaung damage. Home Ministry released ₹493.60 crore to AP & ₹450 crore to TN in advance.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on December 12 assured support to help Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh cope with the damage from cyclone Michaung, and said the Centre was proactively pushing to implement the Chennai Basin project as the first urban flood mitigation project.
“This particular severe cyclonic storm Michaung affected two States in varying degrees, namely Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and the glacial outflow affected Sikkim. To help the State governments manage the relief necessitated by the cyclone storm, the Home Ministry has released in advance the Central share of the second instalment of the State Disaster Relief Fund [SDRF] of ₹493.60 crore to Andhra Pradesh and ₹450 crore to Tamil Nadu,” the Minister said in the Lok Sabha.
The Centre, she said, had sent inter-ministerial teams to both the States without waiting for their memorandum, and the teams have done their assessment of damages from the cyclone. The Minister also pointed out that Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu’s SDRF accounts already had an opening balance of ₹2,569.85 crore and ₹813.15 crore, respectively. Sikkim would also get relief after the teams assess the damage from the glacial outburst there.
“The Chennai Basin Project under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund includes a Central assistance of ₹500 crore, and the Central government is taking a proactive approach so that the first urban flood mitigation project of ₹561.29 crore for integrated urban flood management activities can be taken up,” Ms. Sitharaman said.