Puducherry government has failed to ensure adequate preparatory works for the monsoon, says former CM V. Narayanasamy

Former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy on Tuesday charged the ruling AINRC-BJP coalition government in Puducherry with having failed to initiate any preparatory works for the northeast monsoon.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Narayanasamy said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast heavy rainfall over north coastal districts Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next three days with wind speeds of 65 kmph.

While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had held meetings on monsoon preparedness with officials and deputed Ministers to oversee precautionary measures in the districts two months ago, his counterpart and Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangasamy chaired the first meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority only on Monday, Mr N.arayanasamy said.

Though the IMD had forecast heavy rainfall over Puducherry, the State Government had not taken note of the warnings seriously. The waterbodies and channels in rural areas and storm water drains in urban areas were not desilted so far. It is the residents who have been bearing the brunt of this inefficiency and lackadaisical attitude of the Government and the authorities concerned, he said.

He claimed the previous Congress government used to plan well ahead of monsoon by appointing officers from all line departments to assess the situation and initiate steps to bale out rainwater. But now the AINRC-BJP coalition government’s lack of competency has come to the fore. People are now bearing the brunt due to heavy rains and this is unfortunate, he said.

Mr. Narayanasamy also emphasised the need for an unbiased investigation into attempts to usurp the property of the Sri Parvatheeswarar Swamy Devasthanam in Karaikal. The arrest of G. Johnson, a Deputy Collector in the Department of Revenue and a few other officials including a land surveyor and document writer calls for a thorough probe into the land grabbing scam.

Alleging that politicians were also involved in the land scam, he said the Karaikal Collector must ensure a thorough and unbiased investigation into the incident to bring out the truth.

Published - October 16, 2024 12:27 am IST