Palaniswami reiterates his demand for White Paper on Chennai flood management

AIADMK's Edappadi K. Palaniswami demands White Paper on Chennai Flood Disaster Management Committee recommendations implementation status.

The AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday reiterated his demand for a White Paper on the status of implementation of recommendations of the Chennai Flood Disaster Mitigation and Management Committee headed by former civil servant, V. Thiruppugazh.

“If it is a fact that this government has implemented most of the recommendations of the committee, as claimed by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, what is the reluctance [to issue the White Paper]?  Let people know [the status],” Mr. Palaniswami told reporters. He was at the party headquarters in the city to attend an event to mark the AIADMK’s formation day when he hoisted the AIADMK’s party flag and paid floral homage to the statues of former Chief Ministers, M.G. Ramachandran, and Jayalalithaa.

Describing the response of Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin to his earlier demand for the White Paper as “immature” and “playful,” Mr. Palaniswami said the rationale behind the demand was to get the full facts out on the matter so that the people would understand the issue. “It is the duty of the government to clarify the matter. It would not be the intent of a regime subscribing to good governance to dodge the issue,” Mr. Palaniswami observed. 

He also charged the DMK government with seeking to project only the Deputy Chief Minister at the cost of “senior and experienced” Ministers in respect of flood management. On the contrary, when the AIADMK was in power, there was a “coordinated” work by Ministers concerned with rapid response teams in place, the AIADMK leader contended, adding that the execution of flood relief works would have been faster if the senior Ministers had been involved. 

Mr. Palaniswami also blamed the State government for not completing the stormwater drain works, initiated by the previous AIADMK regime, even though 40 months had lapsed since the DMK’s return to power.  Disputing the government’s version that the flood water level had receded due to the execution of the works, he asserted that the abatement of rainfall was the reason for the water level to go down.

Asked about the possibility of rapprochement with former members of the party, the AIADMK general secretary emphasised that there would be no truck with those who had been “expelled” from the party.  He termed media reports about former Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani and others having broached the matter with him as “false.”