Tourism Minister R. Rajendran reviews monsoon preparedness in Salem

Tourism Minister reviews Salem Corporation's North East Monsoon preparedness, instructs officials on precautionary measures and emergency services.

Tourism Minister R. Rajendran conducted a review meeting with officials of various departments on Tuesday and inspected precautionary measures around Salem Corporation areas for the North East Monsoon.

The Minister inspected the measures taken by the Corporation at Sivathapuram and Pachapatti, where he interacted with local residents regarding their needs. He also inspected a special medical camp organised by the Health Department at Kurinji Nagar Housing Board.

Speaking to reporters, Minister Rajendran said that officials have been instructed to identify spots where special camps could be set up to provide basic services during emergencies. “Corporation officials should ensure all sewage channels and stormwater drainage are dredged for free flow of rainwater. Manholes should be closed and the road damages caused by rain should be addressed without delay,” Mr. Rajendran added.

Later, during a review meeting at the Salem Collectorate, the Minister instructed department officials to ensure that water bodies and sewage water channels are not encroached. He also called upon the officials to monitor water flow in the channels and water levels in important water bodies like Mookaneri, Allikuttai, Bodinaickenpatti, Pallapatti, and Selathampatti lakes. Sandbags should be kept ready at crucial spots, and caution boards should be displayed at water bodies, the Minsiter said.

“Schools must make their students aware of power supply and usage of electrical components during the rainy season. Official teams should be constituted to monitor the chlorination of water in local bodies. The public shall call toll-free 1077 or contact the Salem Collectorate through 0427-2452202 in case of an emergency,” Minister Rajendran added.

In the meeting, District Monitoring Officer and Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director C. Samayamoorthy, District Collector R. Brindha Devi, Salem Corporation Mayor A. Ramachandran, Corporation Commissioner Ranjeet Singh, and officials from the concerned departments participated.