Chennai flood situation 'alarming'; 8 army columns sent: HM

Terming the situation in flood-hit Chennai as "very alarming", Home Minister Rajnath Singh today assured all central assistance to state governments in dealing with natural calamities and said eight army columns have been rushed to carry out rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Tamil Nadu.
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that Chennai has become an island as it has been cut off from all national and state highways," he said, responding to a discussion in both the Houses on the flood situation in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.
Four more columns of army were being rushed from Delhi in addition to four despatched from Hyderabad to provide rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Chennai which has been converted into an "island" where a "very alarming situation" exists, the Home Minister said in an almost identical statement in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

He said the Centre stood in solidarity with the state in the hour of crisis and an inter-ministerial central team which visited the state from November 25 to 29 will submit its report in a week. Further assistance will be given after the receipt of this report, he added.
"The Centre has received Tamil Nadu's demand of Rs 8,481 crore on October 28," Singh said, adding that the Centre has provided Rs 940.92 crore.
The megapolis has been witnessing an unprecedented emergency situation with unrelenting rains which has broken the record of the last 100 years.

"Four columns of army are being rushed from Delhi in addition to four columns alredy airlifted from Hyderabad", he said. While 12 navy ships including INS Arihant with 155 personnel have been pressed into service, IAF was also helping in the effort by deploying 14 teams of NDRF, he said.

The Minister said in the 24 hours ending 8.30 AM of December 2, Chennai received 330 mm of rain when the fact is that in the whole of December it generally gets 250 mm.
As many as 269 people have died in Tamil Nadu due to the torrential rains, while two in Pudducherry and 54 in Andhra Pradesh.
Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he himself had
spoken to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister while he also spoke to Andhra Pradesh as well as Puducherry Chief Ministers.
He said Andhra Pradesh has sought Rs 1,000 crore as interim relief and soon a central team will visit the state.

In the Rajya Sabha, responding to several members' demand to release more central funds to Tamil Nadu, the Home Minister said "whatever funds have gone to Chennai so far is not adequate. The Prime Minister went there and announced a financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore."
Asserting that both the Centre and state have accountability towards the public, the Minister said there has not been delay in release of funds by the present government.
However, if there is any delay in release of central funds, the state government can use the funds available in its corpus for relief work, he said, and assured that the Centre will provide more assistance if the state needs in future.

"We have started the process of providing food and medicines. If you need more in future, we are certainly going to fulfill," he said, adding that the Centre was ready to provide drinking water using airforce if such situation arise.
He also informed the House that 40 per cent mobiles and 20 per cent landline telephones were not working in Tamil Nadu.
Sharing latest update on relief work been carried out in the state, the minister said 27 NDRF teams, 300 boats and four helicopters have been deployed for rescue operation. About 4,527 relief camps have been set up, where 9.39 lakh people have been accomolated so far, he said.

About 21,908 medical camps have been opened and 17,50,253 persons have been treated, while over 1,000 cattle camps have been set up and 1.53 lakh animals have been treated, he added.
Singh said heavy rains were continuing and the Centre was closely monitoring the flood situation in Tamil Nadu.
Addressing concerns aired by some members with regard to non-release of funds to some states like West Bengal and J&K, the Minister said a central team has visited West Bengal. "We have not yet received the report. As soon as it submits the report, a final decision will be taken," he said.

In case of J&K, funds have already been released, Singh added.