On PM Modi's visit, CM Stalin reiterates plea to declare state's devastating rains a national calamity

Tiruchirappalli: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the rains that caused massive destruction in Tamil Nadu a natural calamity and immediately provide NDRF funds to facilitate relief and restoration work.

He exuded the hope that the Prime Minister would consider the plea he reiterated as the demand of the people affected by the rains.

"You are aware of the havoc caused by the rains in Chennai and the southern districts last month. Infrastructure was extensively damaged and people's livelihood was affected due to the floods," Stalin, who is also the president of the DMK, said raising the issue before Prime Minister Narendra Modi here.

The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth over Rs 20,000 crore here in the presence of the chief minister and Governor R N Ravi.

"The calamity is very severe. Don't think that I am repeatedly making this demand," Stalin said, adding that it was up to him to convey the will of the people.

He said only the state governments, being close to the people, have the onus of providing them education, medical, and other necessary assistance. Putting forth a request and thereby asserting state rights is only "the demand of the people and not a political rhetoric", Stalin said while passionately making his submission.

"I am sure the Prime Minister will deliver on this," the chief minister added.

While Chennai and its suburbs in the north were severely affected by Cyclone Michaung in early December, four southern districts bore the brunt of the unprecedented torrential rains on December 17 and 18, bringing life to a standstill.

Turning to other issues, the CM requested Modi to take steps to introduce direct air flights between Chennai and Penang and Chennai and Tokyo, on a priority basis, given Tamil Nadu's cultural and trade relations with Malaysia and Japan.

In addition, he sought the Prime Minister's intervention to direct Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited, a central public sector undertaking involved in power generation equipment manufacturing, to offer procurement orders to MSMEs in the district that produce spares.

He thanked the Prime Minister for inaugurating a new terminal at the Tiruchirappalli International Airport and sought his cooperation for the expansion project for which the state government is taking steps to acquire 294.57 acres of landat Rs 318. 85 crore and hand it over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for development.

He also sought support for the airport expansion and modernisation at Tiruchirappalli, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Vellore and Thoothukudi, for which the state government is taking steps to acquire 2302.44 acre government and patta land at Rs 3,118 crore to be handed over to the AAI.

The airport in Madurai should be upgraded into an international airport because of an increase in spiritual tours to Rameswaram and Kanyakumari, he said.